Asbury Park, NJ – Established 1874

I’ve often wondered why a chip has yet to be produced by any casino, especially one in nearby Atlantic City, NJ (just a short drive south of Asbury Park on the Garden State Parkway), to commemorate and pay tribute to the beautiful seaside city of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Asbury Park has always been such a beautiful and special place that has gone through so much over the years. It's a spectacular place with so much wonderful history – some good and well, some not quite as wonderful. Asbury Park is a lot like Atlantic City in so many ways. Once a very popular Jersey shore oceanfront resort area, the city is also known for its musical history and unique nature. It was ranked the sixth best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. Asbury even had its own Casino on the boardwalk - full of pinball machines, skee-ball and kiddie rides. The rides are long gone now but the memories will definitely last a lifetime.

So many people have spent many summers in Asbury for more than a century, having fun and creating memories that would last an eternity. Many of the best memories of my life were made in Asbury Park as a child. We never lived there - just visited a lot. I remember it so well… the smell of the boardwalk and the sounds of the beach... the saltwater taffy and cotton candy... the bells from the arcade, the music playing on the carousel as children laughed as they rode the bright colorful horses. Truly the best of times!

I decided that since no one else would recognize this beautiful city and put its name on a chip, I would design my dream chip and have it produced myself (what else would I do in my spare time anyway? ) While there are only two chips currently in existence, here are a couple of photos of my design prototype complete with white seahorses along the chip’s edge. The aqua/teal "Asbury" color theme, Tillie the clown from Palace Amusements, the colorful spinning roulette wheel and seahorses are just a few traces of what a truly magical place Asbury Park will always be. All we need now is for a casino to put their name on it ;)

Just thought I’d share… Enjoy!