Chained is a great routine that you can wear and perform anytime and anywhere. With Chained, you show your spectators that you are wearing a think stainless steel chain with a Kennedy Half Dollar on it. The 50 cent piece has two holes drilled through it and the chain is threaded through the two holes so anyone can see the chain entering and exiting the coin. It is impossible to remove the coin from the chain. Impossible that is, unless you are a magician.
So this is what the spectator see in the 4 phase routine. First, you hold up the chained coin that is around your neck and the chain falls off the coin as it apparently passes through the solid metal coin. You then hand out the coin for inspection so the spectators see that the coin is not a trick or gimmicked coin. Second, the performer takes back the coin and as he is rubbing it on the chain it miraculously hooks back on as effortlessly as it fell off in the first phase. In the third phase, the performer holds up the coin on the chain and asks the spectator to hold their hands out and the coin again drops off the chain into the spectator’s hands. The fourth phase – the finale – the performer places the chain under his shirt and placed the coin on the outside of his shirt. He folds his shirt over the coin and the spectator holds the shirt and coin and as soon as they let go of the shirt they see that the coin is gone. The coin that was on the outside of the shirt, and untethered to anything is then seen back on the chain when it is cleanly pulled out of the shirt by the back of the neck. The chain with attached coin is then handed out to the spectators in amazement.
That’s what it looks like and although it requires a bit of practice to get the various phases and easy moves down so that you can take it on the road with fluidity, it is easy to learn and easy to perform. I just love this trick.
With your $50 purchase you get a small black velvet bag that contains the 36 inch chain and coin with the drilled holes in it and some gimmicked things that you need to perform the trick. The instructional video is 21 minutes long and it is taught by Maynard in a studio shoot with the help of another magician. He video is a password protected Vimeo video which allows you to download it to your computer.
The instructional video is great, not too long, and gets down to the basics. It is shot well and also teaches a few subtleties that convince the spectators that real magic is afoot.
The chain is thin and could possibly break if pulled too hard (that did not happen to me) and it sometimes kinks when I slide the coin back and forth on the chain. All minor stuff to me.
Unfortunately, the instructional video does not show a live continuous four phase performance. I always like to see unedited live performances and am always disappointed when the instructional videos are lacking in that regard. The promotional video however shows edited cuts of the various stages which I believe accurately depict what the trick looks like to your spectators.
This is a great close-up trick and perfect for walk-around or restaurants.
The ad copy states:
“All we can say is WOW…
Perry Maynard has done it again with his new close-up miracle CHAINED…
Everyone who has seen this can’t believe what is happening right in front of their eyes… With CHAINED you will have the ability to make a coin (US half dollar) penetrate right through a solid neck chain.
But wait, the effect does not stop there.
After the coin has penetrated off the chain and the coin has been fully examined by the spectator, you then make the coin magically go right back on to the neck chain. This is truly an astonishing effect to perform and to be seen close up.
Come complete with:
- 36″ stainless steel neck chain
- Coin (US half dollar)
- All necessary gimmicks
- A downloadable instructional tutorial that will teach you all four phrases of the routine by creator Perry Maynard.
- EASY TO DO
- MASTER IN MINUTES
- COIN AND CHAIN CAN BE FULLY EXAMINED
This is a great effect for close up and walk around magic.
Seeing this little gem in action looks like real magic.”
I love this trick and it has earned a 9 out of 10 in my book. It is priced right and if you like what you see in the promo video, you will love this trick. Solid through solid four times in a row, in front of their faces, is a knockout effect.
I appreciate Murphy’s Magic asking me to review this product so I can write this honest review for you. I have used CHAINED and will continue to use this great trick.
