The Boy's Own Book was first published in America in 1829 and contains various amusements and sports for boys in the 19th century.
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The Conjuror's Joke
Take a ball in each hand, and stretch out your hands as far as you can, one from the other; then state that you will contrive to make both the balls come into either hand, without bringing the hands near each other. If anyone dispute your power of doing this, you have no more to do, than to lay one ball down upon the table, turn yourself, and take it up with your other hand. Thus both the balls will be in one of your hands, without their approaching each other.
The Poised Penny
Place a smooth card on the tip of the middle finger of your left hand, and on it, nicely balanced, and with its centre exactly over your finger's point, a penny-piece. Then, by a smart flip with the middle finger of your right hand, you may strike away the card from under the penny, leaving the latter poised on the tip of your finger. A very little practice will enable you to do this trick without ever failing. The card must be carefully struck, so as do drive it straight off the finger; if you flip it upward, it will, of course, take the penny with it.