Bamboozlers: Seven of Spades

The mysterious naming conventions of money.

The Bet:

Line up a penny, nickel and dime on the tabletop. Say, “Ken’s mother has three children.” Point to the penny as you say, “The first one’s name is Penny.” Continue as you point to the nickel. “The second one’s name is Nicholas.” Finish while inquiring and pointing to the dime, “So the last one’s name is?”
Spectators typically reply with a name that begins with the letter D. Repeat the brain teaser again and make it clear that they do know the answer. Normally, they will call out “Dime” or “Dimitrius” and in my case most will say “Diamond”!

Ask one of the bewildered spectators to repeat the riddle while pointing to the coins. Sometimes your audience will rack their brains for ten minutes calling out everything but the right answer. Do you know the answer?

 

The Secret:

It’s not Eishenhower. It is Ken. It is obvious now. What we don’t know is the mother’s name. If someone guesses the answer too quickly just play deaf and pretend like you didn’t hear them.

For more commercial magic and puzzles from Diamond Jim Tyler visit his online Magic Shop!