The creation of this flourish has been claimed by both Nate Leipzig and Allan Shaw. Leipzig, in his autobiography, told of how, one day, a button accidentally toppled over the backs of his fingers and he learned to replicate the action with a coin; see M-U-M, Vol. 43 No. 4, Sep. 1953, p. 131.

Allan Shaw had his own creation story, or stories, for the flourish. At a L.A.S.M. meeting held Nov. 18, 1932, he said that, while he was practicing the thumb roll (another coin flourish), a fumble caused the coin to topple over the backs of his fingers. See Jerry Christensen's “Emperor of Coins—Allan Shaw” in Gibecière, Vol. 11 No. 1, Winter 2016, p. 103. But on another occasion, Shaw told Dai Vernon that the inspirational fumble happened on stage during a catch in a coin production; see Dai Vernon's Tribute to Nate Leipzig by Lewis Ganson, 1975, p. 107.

Leipzig has still another story. In his autobiography, he told of showing Allan Shaw the flourish backstage at the Temple Theatre in Detroit. A year later, Horace Goldin, who knew that the coin roll was Leipzig's, told him that Shaw had claimed the flourish was his, at which Goldin scoffed. See M-U-M, Vol. 43 No. 5, Oct. 1953, p. 171.

In a letter written to Edward McGuire on April 12, 1924, T. Nelson Downs corroborated Leipzig's claim: “Note the fact that Nate invented the roll. I think he is correct in his statement. People used to meet me and say ‘Downs, I always liked that coin roll over your fingers—that’s one of the best things you ever did, etc.'—Shaw and Nate were doing it—I never did it then—never cared much for it but I was kind-o’-forced to put it in the act to uphold my reputation.”

Downs knew both men well, so his unequivocal crediting of the flourish to Leipzig has credence. Leipzig's unquestioned reputation as a quiet man of gentlemanly demeanor makes his story of Shaw's theft highly uncharacteristic. When these things are weighed against Shaw's changing recollections, evidence leans in Leipzig's favor.