One of my prizes from the Super Show this year was the $5 chip used on the baccarat tables at the Sands not long after they opened in the 1950's. Why is this chip scarce? It was only used for the bettor to pay the house when he bet on "BANK" in baccarat. There was a 5% commission on this bet since the odds of the bank winning rather than the player are greater by a small fraction. Thus, if the bettor were betting $100 or multiples on BANK (a common bet in the big table game), he would keep a supply of $5 jetons and surrender one per $100 bet before the dealer paid off his win and returned his bet. The $50 jeton served a similar purpose for $1000 bets.

Apparently, at times a $20 bet was allowed, and the $20 jeton could be played, with a silver dollar serving for payment of the commission on a BANK bet.

Here's what the $5 jeton looked like, as well as the $100 plaque it might be used with. There are also $20 and $50 jetons, and $500, $1000, and $5000 plaques in the set. It is believed that only a hundred or so of the $5 jetons exist. There is also higher demand for the $5 as it is collected not only by collectors of Baccarat chips, but by those who want all the $5 Las Vegas chips.

To give scale to the picture, the plaque is about 2 5/8" wide.