Just because someone wasn't alive to experience something doesn't mean that they can't understand and appreciate it's significance. Look at Biblical scholars. I highly doubt any of them were walking around when the crucifixion and resurrection took place yet they are knowledgable on the subject and they also appreciate it's significance.

I'm 26 and wasn't able to go to The Sands, The Dunes, the Desert Inn.... let alone the Town Tavern, Moulin Rouge in its original 1955 incarnation or other properties that have long since come and gone (Haciencda, Last Frontier, Silver Slipper, the Landmark, Royal Nevada.... etc) yet I still respect those properties and their place not only in history but also in our club. My first trip to Vegas was in August of 2006 - and the sole purpose of that trip was to stay at The Stardust before it was imploded because I knew it would be one of the very few chances to connect with "classic" Vegas that I'd ever have.

By saying that someone in their twenties knows nothing about history because they haven't lived long enough to experience it is really a slap in the face of sorts. No, I wasn't alive to witness Tony Cornero start construction on the Stardust, only to lose all of the money for the funding at the Craps table of the Desert Inn (and subsequently 'mysteriously' die at said table). I wasn't alive to see Bugsy decide after owning small stakes in some of the downtown 'sawdust joints' that he wanted to invest some of the boys' money in the Flamingo and take it over from Billy Wilkerson or see that, having no knowledge of how to build or operate a resort properly, he would buy the same materials to build the hotel that he had bought the previous day or watch the Flamingo open, close to actually finish construction of the hotel rooms and make other cosmetic changes and then reopen successfully (and he, too, meets an untimely end in Virginia Hill's apartment). Sadly, I wasn't alive to see the magic when, while filming Ocean's 11, Sinatra and company would take over the stage in the Sands Copa Room; to hear the razzing from back stage while Sammy did what he did best and to see Sinatra control the room as only he could. I may not have been there, but I certainly know all about it. And every day I wish I had been born 70 years earlier.

I also understand the urgency in preserving these artifacts. It's a simple fact of life that, like people, items only last for so long. Any person, young or old, should be able to experience the magic of walking down the Strip and not see hotels on top of each other; should be able to look at one of those casino chips and think "I wonder who's hands touched this chip xx years ago?" Things change, things get destroyed. Yes, we have books, but books only tell half the story. But when you have a Lido costume from the early 70's in your collection or see it in a museum, it adds a realism to it. It's not just words on a page then, you can actually see/smell/feel evidence that this happened. You can see it in your mind - a showgirl wearing this (lack of) costume, dancing on stage in one of the largest resorts in the world (at that time) 5-7 times a week or more. You can see the lights hit the sequins and you can smell the smoke and you can hear the audience. It's real. And that's what makes this hobby so great - these items; casino chips, ashtrays, dealer ties (one of my favorite collections), casino dinnerware (another of my favorite collections), they tell stories. And only by preserving them; ensuring their survival for another 50-100 years or more will the story truly be told, and then we'll all have the real knowledge of the subject.

I have one of the few The Sands roulette chips from table 4, issued in 1952 (with 4-7 known to have survived, according to James Campiglia) and consider it my prized possession. Not because of the fact that reportedly so few exist, but because of it's history. This one little, green clay chip has survived for 57 years. It's exchanged hands countless times, been played on a table with who knows who risking their life savings on a spin of the wheel. Where has this one chip been in 57 years....

In my opinion, that's what sparks excitement in this hobby. Not age, not experience, not knowledge of history, but a curiosity, and a desire to protect it for future generations. Without preservation, we're nothing. So, nothing personal, but I definitely have to disagree with the comments made about age being a deterrant in this hobby... there are countless young people who have the means, who have the desire, but perhaps lack the opportunity.