This method for
holding a coin was invented by Charles Morritt and can be found in
Bobo's in a section devoted to Morritt's "Purse Trick". It
is also referenced in Dai Vernon's "Spellbound" routine*.
Once I started working with it, it didn't take long before I realized
that Morritt had come up with an extremely valuable addition to the
magician's repertoire. In addition, the more I used it, the more I
was impressed by its versatility. I've spent many hours developing
the mechanics for this move, but it was worth every minute. Believe
me, the Morritt Grip is well worth your time also.
And here's a
surprise: when I asked around, I found that virtually no one else had
even bothered reading the Morritt Grip section, let alone thought to
learn or to use it. I decided then and there to launch a one man
campaign to bring it to people's attention, and to get it the
recognition it deserves. Its greatest strength is that it lets you
conceal a coin while your hand is nearly flat, and further more
allows your thumb total freedom of movement.
Getting a coin into a
Morritt Grip: The first step is to manipulate the coin into the
perfect place for the Grip. Start with a coin lying on your two
middle fingers, with its forward edge near the first joints of those
fingers as shown in Fig. 1. Now move your second finger back a bit,
so that the first finger forms a kind of "wall", then start
to bend your third finger at the first and second joints as shown in
Fig. 2. This will first tilt the coin slightly and pin its edge
against the first finger's wall; but as the finger continues to curl,
the coin will start to "roll" along the wall until it stops
about a quarter inch from the place where the palm begins. The coin
is now in the perfect place.
While the first and
third fingers maintain their sideways grip, bend the second finger so
that it grips the coin also Fig. 3 shows the forward edge of the coin
going into the crease of the first joint. The second finger can now
hold the coin by itself, pressing it against the flesh at the edge of
the palm, so relax and straighten the first and third fingers as
shown in Fig. 4.
With the coin
securely held by the second finger, spread the first and third
fingers slightly and then squeeze them together again so as to grip
the coin with the fleshy part of their third joints. All that remains
is to straighten the second finger as shown in Fig. 5. Note that the
second finger doesn't press on the face of the coin, but always
remains slightly back. Finally, let your hand relax out of the
artificial look of Fig. 6 and into the natural curl of Fig. 7.
*J B. Bobo op. cit.
and Dai Vernon, Stars of Magic Series 2, No 3: "Spellbound"
(Stars of Magic, Inc., 1946). Although Bobo and Vernon describe how
the coin is held, neither gives the mechanics for getting into or out
of the Morritt Grip. To the best of my knowledge. I am the first to
develop and publish a set of such moves.
