French Drop Trick: How To Make A Coin Disappear In Your Hand (Step-By-Step)

Updated: Dec 19, 2023

The French Drop vanish is an amazing beginner sleight and essential trick for magicians of all levels.

A magician holding a coin with the words "French Drop" in the background

The French Drop is a classic magic trick every magician should perfect! Let's learn it!

The Classic French Drop Trick

You can learn the french drop magic trick to quickly vanish coins and other small objects.

It's a beginner magic trick that you will use for a lifetime.

It's easy to understand and can be used in many ways and applied to various tricks or moments of magic.

What is a French Drop? The French Drop is a sleight-of-hand technique used by magicians to vanish small objects such as coins and balls-- seemingly into thin air!

Table of Contents

Introduction to the French Drop
Watch the French Drop Vanish
Step-By-Step: French Drop Explained
Photo Instructions
Video: How to Make A Coin Disappear
Interesting & Noteworthy
Conclusion

Let's take a look at the french drop!

Introduction to the French Drop

The French Drop is an easy sleight-of-hand trick that allows you to vanish a small object. It can be done at any time anywhere!

It's a simple magician's sleight to learn and takes practice to look magical!

Watch the French Drop Coin Trick:

Here's what secretly happens:

You start this trick by holding your hand out with your palm up, holding the coin between your thumb and fingers.

Now, your other hand moves towards the hand holding the coin, allowing the coin to fall undercover of your closing fingers.

It looks to the eye of the spectator as if you seized the coin from your thumb and fingers, but in reality, you let it drop quietly into the palm under cover of your hand.

Learn the French Drop Step-By-Step

In this section, we'll learn how to make a coin disappear using the french drop, but you can use any small object you can conceal in your palm.

How to Vanish a Coin with French Drop:

Hold the coin in your hand between your thumb and fingers.
Make sure your audience can clearly see the coin. You may need to tilt your hand or fingers slightly.
Bring your other towards the coin and apparently take the coin.
When your thumb is behind the coin and your fingers in front, let the coin fall.
Pretend to take the coin
Close your fingers as they pass
The pretend hand should carry upward, drawing the audience's attention
Keep the secret hand holding the coin natural as you misdirect attention to the other hand.
Be natural in your movements!

An exposed view showing the French Drop where a coin falls secretly into the magician's hand

Here's an exposed view of the the French Drop

Photo Instructions

Hold your hand palm up with the coin in your fingers.

Now move your empty hand toward the coin, closing fingers just as they pass it.

It appears as if you are grabbing the coin, but really you let it drop into your palm without anyone noticing.

VIDEO: How To Make A Coin Disappear with the French Drop

Watch the full explanation of how to make a coin disappear in your hand using the french drop.

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Interesting & Noteworthy

Here are a few interesting facts about the french drop:

French Drop can also be described as a false take.
It is one of the oldest methods of vanishing a small object like a coin or ball.
The sleight of hand move in France was called "Le Tourniquet."
Professor Hoffman first published the term "French Drop" in 1876 in Modern Magic.
It also appeared in Book One of the Tarbell Course, initially printed in 1941.
The coins we used in our video shoot are Palming Coins, large display coins designed for magicians.