In the summer of 2002, three masters of Coin-Fu met at a secluded monastery (strangely resembling the site of the IBM convention) for the sole purpose of bashing their audiences senseless.

Their weapon of choice? Coins.. . at close range.

In the wee hours of the morning, video cameras captured the most dramatic moments of what westerners call a "session" and escaped alive with the only known footage of these bizarre and mysterious rituals.

From master Kam:

• Beijing Coins Across - Three silver coins shimmer into mirage-like existence, dance from hand to hand, then suddenly transform into ancient brass Chinese coins. They change singly back to silver, and visibly flash back to brass. This opening attack from Curtis Kam's formal parlor show is the showpiece for his signature "Fingertip Wildcoin" sequence.


• Coercive Purse - Cited by Tommy Wonder for its construction, this routine uses psychological warfare to beat skeptics into submission. Imagine the copper/silver transposition warped through a purse frame, by way of a Jedi mind trick. The final stroke of oriental deviousness is the production of a coin larger than the purse frame, from the purse frame.


• The Goblet - Six coins transpose, transform and transport in, over, and around a stemmed metal goblet as Kam's pioneering techniques turn this under-used prop into a dangerous weapon. The Goblet allows the elements of Beijing Coins Across to be re-sequenced for greater killing efficiency.


• Tiananmen Square - For his final blow, Kam added a coin purse to Fingertip Wildcoin, punishing the audience with a standing handling of Roth's classic ?Purse and Glass? that goes way off the deep end, ending with 13 Chinese coins covering the tabletop in a dazzling display of mysterious metals.

He then staggered the others by tipping his groundbreaking work on the underground Mutobe Palm and an ingenious ?spider? application of the otherwise ludicrous ?over the top? vanish from Bobo's Modern Coin Magic.

Finally, from the exotic, mysterious land known only as ?Portland?, came western master Reed McClintock, who delivered the deathblow by actually performing ?International Dissolve? from his aptly named manuscript series, ?Knucklebusters.? To rub salt in the wounds of the disbelieving, he then explained how it was done, and made it seem easy.

The ending to this routine will pummel you, so be prepared to defend yourself.