The Millennium Memorial Vernon Spinning Coin

In 1976 Dai Vernon (1894-1992) did a farewell lecture tour. To commemorate the tour, he had minted two spinning coins which he sold as souvenirs.

The coins were designed by Mickey O’Malley with one side of the coin featuring a silhouette of Vernon while the other side depicting the magic props he is known for, the title of his Genii column, “The Vernon Touch” and some hidden symbolism.

It is called a spinning coin because on one side of the coin there is a little nipple which allows it to spin on hard surfaces like a table. It is unknown how many of the originals were made.

The Millennium Memorial Vernon Spinning Coin:
Shortly after his death Dennis Marks minted a special edition of the coin with minor differences, the main one being that of moving the nipple that makes it spin from the head side to the tail side since Vernon never liked having it on his chin. It is a limited edition of only 1,000 pieces.

Each coin also included a sheet explaining their history, the differences between the coins, the hidden symbolism and a way of hearing whether they land heads or tails when spun on a table.

We were able to purchase a small stash of the original Millennium coins that are in mint condition. You get a mint coin and a copy of the explanatory sheet that originally came with them. Limited quantity.