I bought the Dollar size version, and was so happy with it that I decided to buy the half size set too.

Like the description says you get 5 coins and 2 shells and a mini DVD. The coins are not reddish like one of the picture.

To be honnest, I prefer these to my Tango or Roy Kueppers coins. Despite being a tiny bit thinner, they weight more (10.5g) and they don't have as much as a plastic feel to them than the others. They don't have reeded edges either, and both sides are different. There is kind of black paint on them, but the finish is more of an applied patina instead of the usual super slippery color and brass paints like for the other brands.

They differ a bit from the Dollar size version. The half-dollar set has the exact same diameter as a Kennedy Half, so the shells fit standard US Halves, Tango Halves and RK Halves, which can be pretty useful for creativity! The center hole is smaller so you won't see any discrepency if you were to hide a Tango or RK coin under these shells.

That being said, the coins do not fit as perfect in their shells than the Dollar version. They wiggle a bit if you place the double-dragon side out. But if you reverse the coin they're quite stable, and in that position they fit quite well and I'm not even worried about people seeing the 'wrong' side. But you might want to be careful as they sometimes talk just from handling. The shells are made of brass and good thing, none of the turtles ever get stuck in their armors!

12 minutes of non-verbal instructions, sometimes annoying and overwhelming music. You are thaught 1 production, 1 vanish, 1 color change, along with 1 gimmickless and 2 gimmicked small routines using those moves. And also an other cool move done with a ribbon. None of these are super hard, could suit beginners but yet might still be of interest for more advanced workers.

I couldn't wait to learn a routine using 5 coins and 2 shells, but I was surprised to find out that the instructions never use more than 4 coins and 1 shell. But I guess you buy them for the props, and the video is just a bonus to get you started. Seriously, buying these from Tango would cost twice the price. So it really is a good deal in my opinion.

Give them a chance.

First, let me say what is not written here: The coin is 2 mm thick and 3 cm large. Pretty much the half dollar size. The s**** is about 0,6 mm (yes, I'm trying to be precise here), fits well and cover the side well (and seens very resistent). In other words, PERFECT. The coin is beautifully designed. Why 4 stars? Well... I don't consider "copper" metal to be high quality (at least it appears to be copper). Sure, it will give the coin an aspect of realism, but I think quality beats everything. It will get the job done, but if you can find a set of "stainless steel" coins, it will be better. For me it was worth it.