My first gaming-related autograph is not on a chip, but in a book. Recently purchased the book "I Want to Quit Winners" bu Harold Smith Sr., published in 1961. Includes an autograph by Harold Sr. that looks legitimate -- there's a photographic example of his signature in the book that matches. There may be thousands of these signed books around, but I still like the added touch.

Harolds Club was the first casino I ever placed a bet in, when I turned 21. $2 on one of the blackjack tables upstairs, near the 2nd floor cross-over into the Nevada Club. Total gambling bankroll was only about $30-$40, but it actually lasted quite a while on the $2 tables and the nickel slots!

I'll be glad when Harrah's-Reno breathes new life into the shuttered Harolds and Nevada Club properties, but am a little nostalgic for the non-stop action in those older properties.