Show ended Saturday evening. The dealer -- don't know his name -- had two of the $500 chips left. They were both in good shape and he wanted $10 each for them. Here's the story as he related it to me: He got the chips from a player who was playing at the Gulfport Grand two days before Hurricane Katrina. The guy won and the casino was trying to shut down due to storm warnings. In a hurry to get out, the player took his winnings in two $1,000 chips and three $500. The hurricane hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast and pushed the Grand across U.S. Hwy. 90 and spilled all the chips along the sand beach. If you talk to the locals there today, they claim to find chips every time a high winds and waves disturb the shallow gulf. All I can offer at this time is the story, but I usually go to some of the Dallas area coin shows
and if I see the dealer, I will inquire about the $500 chip for you. See you at the convention.