http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/gaming/2004/mar/17/516543124.html

Sands chip fetches $33,000

A 1950s-era $5 casino chip from the former Sands hotel-casino in Las Vegas fetched $33,000 on the Internet auction site eBay over the weekend.

The price is believed to be the highest ever paid for a casino chip in a public sale, said Mike Skelton, president of the Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club. The chip was in "near mint condition" and is one of five known to exist, he said.

The seller is a Las Vegas native and an avid chip collector, club spokesman Len Cipkins said. The buyer and the seller wish to remain anonymous, he said.

The previous record for a casino chip sale also was set on eBay, where a $5 casino chip from the former Hacienda hotel-casino sold for $15,100.