(Doc Dixon, Money Metals News Service) Did you know the Federal Reserve ruined the world’s greatest coin trick? It’s true!
I’ll tell you the story.
Thomas Nelson Downs (1867-1938) was a star of the vaudeville stage. Known as the King of Koins, he was skilled in sleight of hand, but like most successful magicians, what really made him stand out was the ability to showcase his skill in an entertaining way.
His most famous routine was known as the The Miser’s Dream. It’s a classic trick that was already old when Downs started performing it.
During the trick, the magician holds a receptacle, something like a top hat or champagne bucket. With the other hand, he reaches in the air and appears to pluck a silver coin from the ether, then tosses it into the hat or bucket.
Downs was a master of this trick due to his flamboyant performance. After pulling a few coins from thin air, Downs would walk into the crowd and start plucking coins from audience members. Silver would magically appear from behind ears, whiskers, and elbows – few people were safe from his quest for silver coins. Dozens of coins appeared.
It was dazzling!
The Miser’s Dream is still a great piece of magic, but it no longer has the dramatic impact it did over one hundred years ago.
Why?
As is true for any other performance art, magic trends come and go. That’s true of any trick. But the Miser’s Dream has a vulnerability in it that most tricks don’t have.
The Miser’s Dream is about making money appear out of thin air, and that money just ain’t what it used to be.
The first five dollars in silver coins Downs made to appear are worth about $150 in today’s dollars. That kind of value resonates with average audience members. After all, that’s enough for a few steak dinners. But when I perform the trick today, the first five dollars (no longer silver) are worth … five dollars.
That is not quite enough to buy a Big Mac.
I can imagine adults over a hundred years ago being swept up in the illusion of a man making hundreds of dollars appear in a few seconds. Audiences would react the same way today.
But five bucks?
It ain’t the same feeling.
Measured by the underrated meat monetary system, in a hundred years we have gone the scale of the Miser’s Dream went from tomahawk steaks to a couple of cheeseburgers.
And who is responsible for the shrinking value trick?
It wasn’t Tommy Downs.
It wasn’t the magicians – myself included – who have performed this classic.
So who made the dollar’s value disappear?
You guessed it, sound money fans. The Federal Reserve performed this horrendous trick – and it’s doing so now even as you read this.
Tommy Downs made silver appear.
The Fed, with its printing press, made the value disappear.
Before I wrap this up, I’ll do a little mind-reading. You, dear reader, are thinking, “How do you pull silver out of the air?”
I can’t tell you the secret, but I can tell you the first step.
Ready?
Get some silver!
Doc Dixon is a professional magician, comedian, writer, and speaker with over 25 years of experience entertaining audiences at corporate events, cruise lines, and comedy clubs. Known for his sharp humor and expert sleight-of-hand, he blends classic magic with interactive, high-energy performance. He gained national recognition after fooling Penn & Teller on Fool Us and is also a respected creator of magic routines, as well as a sought-after speaker and contributor to the magic community.
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