I've told the story before...

First trip to Las Vegas, Reno, Tahoe in 1981; picked up a few ashtrays as souvenirs (a couple of chips, too...but that was tough! Chips looked pretty cool, but it felt like I was keeping money as a souvenir...what dingbat would do that???!!). Ashtrays ended up in a box in the basement.

Fast forward to sometime in the 1990's. We were at a little, local, flea market and saw a Joe W. Brown's Horseshoe Club ashtray. Who??? Didn't Benny Binion own the Horseshoe? I think so...? Yeah...he started it in 1951...???? The ashtray cost .75, so we bought it. We had a few books on Las Vegas/casinos/Nevada/gambling...so looked in them to find anything about Joe W. Brown. Couldn't find a thing. Ashtray goes to the basement.

Around 1995-1997, on another trip to Las Vegas, we stop at the Gambler's General Store and I spot a book by Art Anderson "Casinos and their Ashtrays". Hmmmmmm....I picked up the book and flipped it open to the Horseshoe Club, and there it was! Not only was our ashtray there (and valued at $12-$15! if I remember right), but the story was there too! Benny Binion...convicted of income tax evasion...federal prison...Joe W. Brown ran the Horseshoe Club...!!! I had to have that book!!!! Kind of pricey, at $20 (almost a day's gambling budget back then, as I recall ) but I had to have it.

After we got home, I fished our other ashtrays out of the basement. I read the stories about the casinos...was in awe at the book value of our ashtrays (from $2-$20 )...and just loved the stories in the book. I was hooked...and so was my husband. We started collecting ashtrays...then added a few chips...and a few postcards...and some matchbooks...and playing cards...and swizzle sticks...and dice...and menus...and lighters...and china...and glassware...and nylons...and combs...and keychains...and phone books...and sugar packets...and soap/shampoo/lotions...and whatever else catches our fancy!

The most important parts of our collection, though, are the stories and the history. Without that, the rest is just little pieces of clay and cardboard and toiletries...