What a great thread.

It wasn't my first chip, because I had picked up some on my trips to Vegas, but it was my first illegal that started me on my way.

It was back in mid-90s and we were on the CompuServe forums. I mentioned something about liking the history of chips and Michael Knapp chimed in offering to send me a chip with a little history. When I got it, I was instantly disappointed with this very plain, dirty old chip with a simple "RG" monogram. Compared to the LEs from Vegas I was accumulating, this looked like trash.

I courteously emailed Michael back (I think we were allowed 20 emails a month) thanking him and he replied with a short history of the chip and it's ties to Al Capone's gambling empire. Intrigued, I picked up a couple books about the Chicagoland gambling scene and have never looked back.

Thirty years later I'm going strong with the illegal gambling history and enjoy every second of it. All that from an ugly chip that Mr. Knapp dropped my way.

Image from ChipGuide.com