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.
