I’m afraid I’m losing my mind. Let me show you what happened or rather what I think happened and then you judge. Several weeks ago I borrowed $1000 from my friend, Mr. A, which he gave me in one bill remarking that he had made a record of the serial number in case it were stolen.

(Borrow a $1 bill and have the number noted.) I used the money to purchase Goldbrick stock. (Place the bill in an envelope to represent the stock certificate.)

Of course I had some savings of my own, $1000 to be exact, which I kept in a tea cup at home but I wanted to keep that intact for any emergency which might arise. (Show $1 in a tea cup and have the number noted by a spectator.) When Mr. A heard what I had done with the money he was quite angry and wanted his $1000 returned at once since he regarded my action as absolute foolishness. So I borrowed $1000 from Mr. B to repay Mr. A. (Borrow another $1 from a second spectator and after the number has been noted give it to the first spectator with a rubber band snapped around it and instructions to hold it for a moment.)

A day or so later the bottom fell out of the Goldbrick corporation and my stock was therefore valueless. (Burn the envelope containing the first borrowed bill.) Mr. B, when he learned of my loss, demanded payment of the amount I owed him. Luckily I still had my savings so I repaid Mr. B. (Take $1 from the tea cup, snap a rubber band around it and hand it to the second spectator.) I was so upset I went to bed and finally fell asleep. Next morning, I looked sadly into my tea cup and found to my utter amazement that there was a $1000 bill inside. Not only that but it bore the same number as the one I had originally. (Have the number checked with written figures. They are the same !)

Completely baffled, I telephoned Mr. B and asked him to look at his bill. He had his own bill ! (Have the second spectator check the numbers on the bill he is holding.) Expecting almost anything by this time, I communicated with Mr. A and received the same reply. He, too, had his own bill. (Have the first spectator check.) Now I want to know – did I loose $1000 or not ? If not, who did ? Was all this a dream or am I just plain crazy ?

For this stunt one needs but two rubber bands, an envelope prepared as explained fully in The Lemon And The Dollar, Jinx #7 (April, 1935) and a $1 bill folded once the long way and twice the other way, serial number inside, in an ordinary tea cup.

To present, borrow a bill from the first spectator after serial number has been recorded. Fold with the number inside and place it in the envelope which leaves it in left hand finger-palmed. Pick up the tea cup by the rim with your left hand, left fingers inside, and this effectively hides the palmed bill. Show your bill in the cup and have the serial number on it recorded on the way to borrow the second, numbers of which also are noted down by the loaner. Return to the table and set down the tea cup ON TOP OF TWO RUBBER BANDS – not in an obvious fashion, but casually. Fold the second bill, switch it for the one still finger-palmed as explained in Money Method (The Jinx Winter 1938-39 Extra), look on the table for the rubber band, move the tea cup to enable you to pick it up, at the same time dropping the palmed bill in the cup with your bill. Snap the band around the bill in hand and return it to the first spectator. Burn the envelope. Reach into the cup and remove the bill just deposited there, snap the remaining band around it and return it to the second spectator. Then bring the effect to its conclusion.