ALRIGHT EVERYONE, HERE’S MY SHORT RANT.

SOME OF MY FRIENDS & COWORKERS KNOW I COLLECT OLDER LAS VEGAS CASINO CHIPS ALONG WITH OTHER VARIOUS LAS VEGAS ITEMS. I REALLY START TALKING UP OUR HOBBY AND LAS VEGAS IF I PICK UP A CHIP I REALLY WANTED OR AS IT GETS CLOSER TO THE ANNUAL LAS VEGAS CONVENTION.
I ALSO LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THE AMAZING HISTORY OF SOME OF THE HOTELS OR LAS VEGAS IN GENERAL (ALTHOUGH I KNOW VERY LITTLE)

I HAVE TO SAY THE GENERAL RESPONSE FROM THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IS “OHHH, THAT’S COOL OR INTERESTING”. SOME EVEN TELL ME THEY NEVER THOUGHT OF COLLECTING CASINO CHIPS AS A HOBBY.
I THINK MOST PEOPLE WHO VISIT LAS VEGAS REALLY LIKE THE PARTY SCENE, DO SOME GAMBLING, VISIT THE SPORTS BOOK AND HIT UP THE BUFFETS.

I OFTEN TELL THEM IT WAS MY LOVE OF LAS VEGAS AND THE AMAZING HISTORY OF OLD LAS VEGAS THAT GOT ME INTO COLLECTING IN THE FIRST PLACE. I ALSO HAD SOME GREAT MEMORIES OF VISITING LAS VEGAS WITH MY PARENTS WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG.

WHEN I TURNED 21, I MADE MY FIRST NON FAMILY TRIP TO LAS VEGAS WITH MY GIRLFRIEND. ONCE I ARRIVED IN TOWN, I WAS IN HEAVEN. AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS, I REALLY WANTED TO TAKE HOME A SMALL PIECE OF LAS VEGAS TO TIDE ME OVER UNTIL MY NEXT TRIP.

I GOT MY START BY COLLECTING THE $1.00 SLOT TOKENS BECAUSE I REALLY LOVED THE DETAIL OF OF THE VARIOUS TOKENS. I REMEMBER BUYING $40.00 IN TOKENS FROM THE CAGE. I WOULD OPEN THEM UP TO FIND THE BEST LOOKING TOKEN AND RETURN THE REST. OFTEN TIMES, I WOULD FIND TOKENS FROM OTHER LAS VEGAS CASINOS IN THE BUNCH SO IT SAVED ME FROM DRIVING AROUND TO SOME OF THE CASINOS.

AFTER A YEAR OR TWO, I DECIDED TO STOP COLLECTING TOKENS AND MADE THE MOVE TO THE $1.00 CASINO CHIPS. RATHER QUICKLY, I SWITCHED TO THE $5.00 LAS VEGAS CHIPS BECAUSE I LIKED THE LOOKS OF THE RED CASINO CHIPS RATHER THAN THE PLAIN WHITE ONES. I ALSO THOUGHT THE REALLY OLD $5.00 CHIPS HAD SOME GREAT COLORS SO I COULD MIX THE RED UP A BIT. MY SON REALLY LOVES THE LAS VEGAS HALLOWEEN & CHRISTMAS CHIPS SO I HAVE BEEN COLLECTING THOSE AS WELL!

I STILL LOVE LAS VEGAS. I LOVE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS, THE SOUNDS (ALTHOUGH I MISS THE CLANKING OF COINS), THE GREAT FOOD & DRINKS, GREAT LAS VEGAS SHOWS, BEAUTIFUL HOTELS, GAMBLING AND WATCHING THE GAMES AT THE SPORTS BOOKS.

LAS VEGAS WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS IT ONCE WAS IN THE OLD DAYS. I REALLY WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN AROUND BACK THEN TO SEE THE SHOWS AND CASINOS. TOO MANY CORPORATE HOTELS ALONG WITH THE MODERN DAY ISSUES.

TO THIS DAY, I STILL LOOK FOWARD TO FINDING MY LAS VEGAS CASINO CHIPS. I STILL LOVE TO PICK THEM UP AND REALLY LOOK AT THE DETAIL OF SOME OF THEM WITH A STRONG MAGNIFYING GLASS. IT NEVER GETS OLD.....

NO MATTER WHAT, I STILL LOVE LAS VEGAS!