MAGIC WORDS Origins: Matba is a magic word for obtaining small coins. The word is found in eighteenth-century Kabbalistic treatises. Facts: As a talisman to be carried in one's money purse, matba was to be written on a square of paper (see figure). Common Magician's Applications: Coin production. To add mystique to a coin routine, a sleight-of-hand magician can use such a marked square of paper as a production prop, perhaps in conjunction with an anecdote about the alchemists of old and their quest for spiritual riches (symbolized by gold). Figure 27. The matba formula for coin production. Matches, Matches Common Magician's Applications: Production. For example, the magic words matches, matches are recommended when producing headless matches in Scarne's Magic Tricks by John Scarne (1951).