The most important skill a novice magician can learn is sleight of hand. Some of the key abilities needed in the study of magic are palming coins and playing cards while using misdirection to prevent the audience from catching onto how the tricks are being performed. One such skill is the French Drop, in which the magician shifts a coin from one hand to another without the audience noticing. As in most magic tricks, the only way to perfect sleight-of-hand techniques is through practice and repetition.
Hold a coin in your left hand and place a napkin over it so the coin is under its center. What the spectators can't see is that you're making a small fold in the underside of the napkin, between the coin and your thumb, into which you slip the coin. With the right hand, lift the part of the napkin closest to the audience and drape it atop the other half to show the coin is still there. Snapping your left wrist, cause both halves of the napkin to fall, holding the napkin and the coin between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. Twist the napkin, which will present the illusion that the coin is still wrapped in the middle of the napkin (it should be within the small fold you created). Push slightly on edge of the coin, which is now on the outside of the napkin but hidden within the fold, until it rises up and appears to pass through the napkin.
Using a regular pencil, explain to your audience that you have discovered the secret of magnetism, which you'll demonstrate by making the pencil stick to your hand. Holding the pencil in the palm of one hand, grasp that wrist with your free hand, with your thumb and all fingers except your index finger wrapping around your wrist. Keeping the back of your hand toward the audience, press the index finger of the hand grasping your wrist into the pencil within your palm. When you open your closed hand with the back of your hand to the audience, it will appear as if there is nothing but magnetism making the pencil stick to your palm.
Using a foam cup, attach a small loop of sticky tape to the side, ensuring your audience doesn't see this. Holding the empty cup in both hands, tell the audience you will make the cup levitate. Press one thumb against the tape and gradually open both your hands at the same time while expressing intense concentration, slowly moving the cup up and down to give the appearance that it's floating. Finally, grasp the cup with both hands (discreetly peeling off the tape as you do so) and present the cup for the audience to examine.