Aug. 17, 2007
Casino chips ahoy!
By STEVE FRIESS
More often than we’d like to admit, we journalists head out
to stories with a certain idea in mind of what we’ll write,
what will happen, what types of people we’ll meet. And never
is that more typically the case for me than when I head out
to some unusual convention or event in Las Vegas to cover, whether
it be the Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament or the celebrity
impersonators convention. If it’s risen to the level that I’m
writing about it for a national publication, it’s probably got
some sort of weirdness factor that fits the image of Vegas that
my editors have.
Such certainly was the case earlier this month as I headed
to the Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club confab at
the Riviera, host of many an oddball convention. What, my Chicago
Tribune editor wondered, did people do at such things, sit around
and show each other their collections?
And yet, something interesting happened not long after I arrived:
I totally got it. Sure, I started out thinking that I was going
to have to feign respectfulness and empathy with those who dedicate
their free time to the accumulation of casino currency, but
within a few minutes of interviewing the first guy -- a former
coin collector -- I understood.
Perhaps it’s because I, too, love Las Vegas, casino culture
and its legacy. But collecting casino chips suddenly made a
lot more sense than, say, collecting Precious Moments ornaments
or Starbucks mugs. Each of these items represented an actual
artifact from a specific moment in time, be it a prizefight
in Atlantic City, Al Capone’s underworld Chicago clubs or the
Stardust’s demolition. Their value was traced to their rarity
or their historic importance, and owners who appreciate them
do so because they have read up on the stories behind their
origin.
I also had no idea what great variety of chips existed, nor
that most collectors don’t just grab anything out there. Some
collect only chips with flowers on them, others certain animals,
other specific jurisdictions or denominations. “There is so
much out there that you either go broke or go crazy or both
if you try to collect everything that ever was created, so I
backed off," said Chuck Tomarchio of Joliet, Ill., who only
has 8,000 chips.
Plus, there weren’t just casino chips. A whole room was opened
up for a few hours so three collectors of paper goods could
show off a stunning collection that included matchbooks, sugar
cubes, coasters, old Wayne Newton show tickets and much more.
Not surprisingly, I did end up buying a couple of things.
Among all the chips, I spotted a fantastic music box from the
1991 opening of the Stardust tower. It even plays "Stardust."
The seller had wanted to sell it for $25 and started a silent
auction with bidding beginning at $5, but he kept it too silent.
When I came along his deadline had passed and he let me have
it for $5! I snagged it ostensibly for my mom, who collects
music boxes, but I think I may keep it for myself after all.
My other treasure was a June 1955 Life magazine that is constantly
referenced whenever people ask if Vegas is hitting its outer
limits of growth. The main art is of a Moulin Rouge showgirl
but in the upper right corner of the cover is the headline "Las
Vegas -- Is Boom Overextended?" That was 52 years ago. The guy
had five of them, each going for $25. I bought three, including
one for the LVRocks.Com studio where I do my podcasts and one
for an as-yet-determined friend or professional contact. I'll
sit down to read the stories later and let you know what I uncover.
As I was leaving, a lady from the convention stopped me.
“Please turn in your media badge,” she said sweetly.
I asked her if I could keep it.
“Why would you want it?” she wondered, baffled.
I collect media badges. I have hundreds of them on special
hooks in my office. They represent many of the amazing stories
I’ve covered, from covering the 1996 Democratic Convention in
Chicago to Celine Dion’s opening night in Vegas and everything
in between.
“Well,” she said softly, “I’m not supposed to let you leave
with it. But it sounds like you’re one of us, so okay.”
Indeed, in one way or another, aren’t we all one of them?
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