Another great story Steve has allowed the CCA to use and post on Facebook for all to enjoy.

The Nevada Gold Museum always prided itself on displaying complete collections. This story is about the completion of one of those collections. Casino liquor decanters were always one of my favorite casino Collectables, they displayed well and many of them highlighted special events such as The Mint 400, golf tournaments, conventions, etc. etc. In total there were over 100 different decanters made, spanning a thirty year period, and of course my goal was to have one of each. While assembling this collection I stumbled into a few prototypes and discovered some varieties as well. I was able to find all of the decanters with the exception of one. There always seem to be one super rare piece in all collections. When it came to Nevada liquor gaming decanters it was the five piece Primadonna set that proved to be the key to this collection. This was also the most beautiful one ever made, in my opinion of course. It consisted of five separate pieces that created the famous Primadonna marque when placed next to each other. Inside each decanter was a showgirl in a different pose. These showgirl figures were very detailed and very fragile so broken arms, legs or heads was not uncommon. Also finding all five pieces was a challenge as these apparently were sold individually. Being a condition freak only added to my frustration in completing this collection as all of the other decanters were in mint condition so an off grade set would not be acceptable. After many years of searching I finally found a complete set, not mint but complete. At this point I had never paid more than $50 for a decanter, when the seller told me the price was $800 I nearly fell over, and needless to say, I passed on the deal. In 1997 Charlie Rodgers and I promoted a gaming collectable show in Laughlin, Nv. in association with the newly opened Nevada Gold Museum located within the Flamingo Hilton. I met a gentleman, George Richter, at this show and he noticed the Primadonna set was missing. He claimed to be the biggest decanter dealer in the country, whoever knew there was such a thing. He told me he had the elusive set and it would blend well with the rest of the collection. It was in mint condition and still sealed, he claimed this was probably the only one like it. Unfortunately he said it wasn’t for sale as it was in his personal collection. After another year of searching and trying to convince George to part with his prized decanter set I finally asked him “Name your price, I’m buying your set today”. He insisted it wasn’t for sale but he would consider an offer of over $1200. I purchased that set for $1201 that day and have never regretted it. In over fifty years of collecting I have never seen another set in new unused condition. And now the display was complete.