How to Make a Pen Penetrate a Dollar Bill

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 15, 2021 Tested

Do you want to start a magic show with a simple yet effective trick? One of the easiest tricks to perform is the pen penetrating a dollar bill. There are a couple of different ways in which to do this trick. Each one varies slightly, but they all have a few things in common: the magician appears to pierce a dollar bill with a pen, yet when he or she removes the pen and unfolds the bill, the bill is undamaged!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Dollar, Paper, and Pen

1
Know how the trick is supposed to look. The magician tucks a folded dollar into a folded sheet of paper. Next, the he or she thrusts a pen through the folded dollar and paper. The magician then shows the audience the pen sandwiched between the dollar, with the tip sticking out of the paper. When he or she pulls the pen out, the paper has a hole in it, but the dollar doesn't.
2
Get a piece of paper and fold it in half. Use a piece of paper that is about the same width as your bill, but a little shorter. Fold the paper in half widthwise.^{[1]
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- The paper can be a little wider than the bill, but it can't be narrower.
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3
Cut a notch into the left side of the bill, using the seal as a guide. When you look at a dollar bill, you will notice a round, black seal on the left with a letter in the middle. Use an Exacto blade to cut along the right side of the black seal, forming a little flap.^{[2]
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- A crisp bill is ideal for this; a wrinkled one will cause the flap to bunch up and give the trick away.
4
Fold the bill in half widthwise. Make sure that the right side is overhanging the left side by ½ inch (1.27 centimeters). This will help further conceal the flap once it is inside the paper.^{[3]
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5
Tuck the bill into the paper. Make sure that the flap is not visible from the outside of the paper. If it is, the paper is too short, and you should get another one. You want to be able to see the edges of the bill sticking out over it, but you don't want to see the flap.^{[4]
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6
Slide a pen into the fold and through the flap. Start by sliding the pen right into the folded bill. When you reach the flap, angle it slightly, then push it through the flap so that it is between the bill and the paper.^{[5]
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7
Thrust the pen through the paper. At this point, you can show the pen sandwiched between the two sides of the bill, and the tip sticking out of the fold along the bottom.^{[6]
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8
Remove the pen and show off the paper and bill. You can pull the pen back out, or you can slide it all the way through the paper and out the other end. Unfold the bill and paper. Show the paper with the hole in it to the audience first, then show the intact dollar.^{[7]
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9
Practice the trick, then perform it. Keep practicing until you are able to slide the pen through the bill and the flap in one fluid motion. Once you are ready, cut into the bill before the show begins. You can show the bill to the audience, but be careful not to show them the slit. Perform the trick by doing the following:
- Fold the paper and the bill.
- Tuck the bill into the paper.
- Slide a pen into the bill and through the flap.
- Push the pen through the paper and pull it out.
- Remove the paper and show the audience the hole.
- Show the audience the intact bill.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using a Dollar and Pen

1
Understand what the trick is supposed to look like. The trick starts out with folded a dollar bill. Next, the magician appears to thrust a pen through the folded part of the dollar. When he or she slides the pen out and unfolds the dollar, the bill appears to be whole, and undamaged.
2
Start with an old bill. The secret to this trick lies in how you fold the bill. If you fold a crisp, brand-new bill, you will give the whole secret away. Instead, choose a bill that has already been folded a few times. This way, any new folds in the bill will be easily disguised.^{[8]
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- You can use other bills too; they don't have to be a dollar.
3
Accordion-fold the dollar into thirds. You want to have about 1/3 inch (0.85 centimeters) of the dollar overhanging each folded edge. If you open up the bill slightly and look at it from the size, it should resemble a Z. To do this:^{[9]
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- Fold the right side edge until it is halfway past the center of the bill.
- Flip the bill over so that you can see the back.
- Fold the left side edge until it comes past the fold.
- You will end up with a bill that is folded into thirds, with the side edges overhanging the folds by 1/3 inch (0.85 centimeters).
4
Tuck one of the folded corners into the bill. This is the secret behind this trick, and is what allows the pen to pass through the bill without tearing it. Do this with your ring finger as you pass the folded bill from hand to hand. It helps to talk while doing this to further distract the audience.^{[10]
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- Having a soft, worn bill really helps with this.
5
Turn the bill with the tucked corner facing upwards. If you were to look down at the bill, you should see the tucked corner forming a pocket between the folds of the bill. The pocket will be visible from one side. Make sure that this side is facing you, and not the audience.^{[11]
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- This is where the overhanging edges of the bill come in handy: they will conceal the extra creases forming the pocket.
6
Slide a pen down through the bill and the folded pocket. To the audience, this will look like the pen is going through the bill and punching out the bottom.^{[12]
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- Tilt the tip of the pen away from the center of the bill at a slight angle.
7
Don't be afraid to show the audience the bottom and back of the bill. Position your hand in such a way that it is covering the side with the pocket. Keep your fingers over the part where the pen is coming out of the pocket. It's okay if the audience sees the bottom fold, but they shouldn't see the pocket fold.^{[13]
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8
Pull the pen out and unfold the bill. You can slide the pen all the way through the bill and out the other side, or you can pull it back up. Unfold the bill, careful not to let the audience see the pocket fold.^{[14]
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9
Perfect the trick, then perform it. Keep practicing the trick until the accordion fold and pocket fold become one, fluid motion. Practice holding the paper so that the pocket fold is not visible. Get comfortable with the trick, and keep the audience engaged.
- Get out a pen and bill. They can be your own or an audience member's.
- Accordion fold and pocket fold the bill.
- Slid the pen down through the bill and the pocket.
- Hold the bill firmly and let the audience see the pen coming out the bottom.
- Remove the pen and unfold the bill.

Warnings

Defacing US currency for the purpose of fraud, to cheat someone out of money, is illegal. Defacing US currency for the purpose of a magic trick is good clean fun and perfectly legal.

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