Everyone remembers David Blaine walking up to someone, borrowing their quarter, biting it in half and spitting it back together on TV. It was a huge moment for magic.
For that reason, coin bite is an undisputed classic of magic… But it’s not as practical as it could be.
Firstly, people don’t like to carry coins anymore. They pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, contacless Credit Cards & Bills.
Borrowing a coin is also country or value specific. If they don’t have a quarter on them, or you’re performing outside of your normal country, it’s impossible to do.
It’s also so well hidden, you’ll sometimes spend it by mistake. In my lifetime I’ve accidentally spent at least 12 coin bite or folding coin gimmicks… I needed a better solution.
I got to thinking. What thing do people always grab when they leave the house, something they keep on them at all times? Their keys.
To make it truly universal, I couldn’t use the head of the key. The bit you hold when unlocking your door can be various shapes and colors. The stem of the key, although supposedly unique, looks ironically identical across all keys.
I took the most popular key in the world, the mechanically cut key and created a dual layer, one silver and one brass. The Key Bite gimmick was born.
It’s sleek, fun and lighting fast to restore.