I'm not sure where Allan gets his information, but I live in Amargosa Valley, and Doris Jackson is one of my neighbors. Doris is alive and well, alittle older perhaps, but still as sharp and tough as they come. Doris was one of the original Caesars Palace Goddesses and was the first woman to ever be granted a full un-restricted gaming license, and own 100% of any Casino. She is a legitimate part of gaming history, and an integral part of the community. She is the Chairman of the town board, and it's longest active member,(she never misses a meeting).

The Stateline Saloon has been there since the 60's ,it is small, but very lively especially on the weekends. Many of the customers are locals, but she does do quite a business with the Europeans that come out to check out the Wild West, Death Valley & Ash Meadows.

I have been collecting chips for over 20 years, and Doris and I have had many conversations about her chips,(and about the infamous Gordon Hall). According to Doris, Mr. Hall had designed 2 sets of chips for her:

The 12 Days of Christmas set

The Holiday Commemorative Set
Both were made around 1996, the holiday commemorative set consisted of several chips,(one for each major holiday), there were 300 of each made and from what I have seen in the TCR and the actual market, they perform very well. In fact, in a display at the Colorado Belle in Laughlin, you can see the $5 Halloween chip from the Stateline Saloon. There was also 2 varieties of the Easter chip, a New Years chip, a Fourth of July chip, a Thanksgiving chip...and the Valentines Day chip.

Now here's where it gets interesting, as each chip hit the tables, chippers from all over, including many of the dealers & collectors that are regulars on this board would come and buy ALL of here chips within days of their release.

This is when Doris decided to commission the 12 Days of Christmas Set. There was to be 1000 sets, and anyone that owns them or has seen them knows that it is indeed a beautiful set. Everything was going along fine....THEN, the Valentines Day chip was released...but Mr. Hall had made a last minute change to the original design. He added a machine gun image to the chip, when Doris saw the gun she EXPLODED, (Doris is COMPLETELY against guns). Doris immediately threw Mr. Hall out of her establishment!

Shortly there-after, Paulson had completed the 12 Days of Christmas sets, and Mr. Hall came to deliver them to Doris....BUT, he told her that they had mistakenly made only 500 sets...and that the remaining sets would be forth-coming.

It was during this time that Mr. Hall sold sets to the dealers, and from what I have heard from other collectors...he also sold some at one of the shows. When he sold them at the show, all the dealers got very upset because he was selling them at less than the other dealers were.

After a few weeks, Doris contacted Paulson about the remaining 500 sets and was told that Mr. Hall had picked up the WHOLE 1000 sets weeks earlier! Doris went to Gaming, she was able to recover about 200 sets...and Mr. Hall was supposed to make restitution for the missing sets,(which never happened).

I play blackjack at the Stateline Saloon, and I can tell you that her chips DO make it to the tables. I have a complete collection of every chip that Stateline Saloon has ever made,(even the old "saloon doors" chips). Almost all of the chips that Stateline has ever had are sold out, there is not even one of the house $1 or $5 left,(now she uses the $1 tokens on the table)...ALL of the holiday commemoratives sold out within a week of issue, the 7 piece set,(which includes the signature $25 & the 10 center), are long gone, except for a few very worn $25s.
The tables mainly use some of the broken up 12 Days sets, house $25s & the $1 tokens. Very rarely do the $100s come out, she only had 100 of them made...and MAYBE she has a stack or so left.
I've heard all the rumors about Mr. Hall, and several people have asked me about whether the Stateline is still open...well, I've never met Mr. Hall, and I don't doubt that he was a shady character...but I do know Doris...and I do know her chips. Nevada Gaming is not a rinky-dink organization. They have rules and regulations, and just because Amargosa Valley is a small town, in no way means that the rules are not enforced here like they are in Vegas or Reno. During the "Hall" debacle, the Stateline Saloon, Mr. Hall,(and Doris),were investigated. Doris, and the Saloon were completely exonorated, and their Gaming record remains spot-less.
Any serious chip collector, chip dealer or Nevada History buff knows...or knows of Doris.
I am tired of hearing of people passing on rumors or dis-crediting her. Doris is on the up and up, and MANY in the chipping community know this. She is a part of Casino, and YES...chipping history...and she's a helluva nice old broad too!
Sorry for the book, but that's the REAL story!
Here's a pic of the original "swinging doors" set.
Best Regards,
Dan Mills
R-4848