AROUND 10 YEARS' AGO WHEN I HAD AN ANTIQUE MALL AT 500 S. MAIN ST. DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS ... I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON MAIN ST. & THE CORNER OF BONANZA AVE.'S .... RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE OLD NEVADA BILTMORE HOTEL PROPERTY. BEHOLD IN THE ALLEY WAY BEHIND A CHAIN LINK FENCE WAS THIS OLD LARGE GOLDEN NIGGET NEON SIGN. IT WAS SITTING OUTSIDE FOR ABOUT A YEAR OR SO. ONE DAY I DROVE BY IN THE ALLEY AND THERE WAS A WAREHOUSE EMPLOYEE FROM THE GOLDEN NUGGET. I ASKED HIM HIS INTENTIONS ON THE OLD SIGN AND HE SAID THEY DON'T HAVE A FORK LIFT TO PUT IT IN THE DUMPSTER OR IT WOULD BE LONG GONE. I SAID HOW ABOUT I TAKE IT AND GIVE YOU WAREHOUSE GUY A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS ???? HE WAS THRILLED AND SAID TO COME BACK ON WEDNESDAY AND THE BOSS WOULD BE HERE. OF COURSE I RUSHED BACK WEDNESDAY MORNING AND MET WITH THE WHSE. BOSS. HE SAID OKAY ... DEAL!

I CAME BACK THE NEXT DAY WITH A RENTED TRAILER WITH A WENCH AND 2 GUYS OUT OF WORK TO HELP ME LOAD HER UP. .... AS LUCK HAS IT THE BIG BOSS OF THE GOLDEN NUGGET PULLED IN AND SAID THAT THE NEWLY FORMED NEON MUSEUM INQUIRED ABOUT THEM DONATING THE SIGN TO THEM ... HOWEVER THEY DID NOT WANT TO PAY THE $600 TO HAVE IT MOVED AND CRATED. I SAID NO PROBLEM HERE IS THE $600 AND I WILL TAKE HER AWAY NOW ... AFTER A FEW PHONE CALLS ... THEY BIG BOSS CAME OUTSIDE AND SAID ... BADS NEWS MY FRIEND, THEY NEON MUSEUM AGREED TO PAY THE $600 TO THE NUGGET FOR MOVING THE SIGN OVER TO THEIR NEW MUSEUM YARD. I SAID TO THE BOSS MAN ... OUCH!!! .... I JUST SPENT ABOUT $300 TO ARRANGE THIS MOVE ETC. HE FELT BAD A LET ME WANDER INSIDE THE OLD WAREHOUSE AND PIUCK OUT A FEW TRINKETS THEY WERE GOING TO THROW OUT .... NOTHING EXCITING .... I LEARNED IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL, UNTIL IT'S A DONE DEAL ...AND THAT'S MY STORY OF MY (ALMOST) GOLDEN NUGGET NEON SIGN .... THANKS FOR READING MY POST ... RICH BURGEL