Further down the index (way down) both Jim Reilly
and Pete Sanders are talking "lawyer jive" about the
Hobby Protection Act. Jim is explaining to Pete (in
so many words) for something to be an "imitation,"
there has to have been an "origininal" to imitate.
While that is true, below I'll give you an example
of how an "imitation" would also be an "original."

It was during the early days (late-1800s) of legal
gambling in Monaco when the Casino de Monte-Carlo
was organized. Gamblers were compelled to purchase
jetons valued at 2-francs each from the cage (the
lowest states at Roulette). At the end of a days
play, the jetons could be cashed in for French
francs, or simply walk out the door with the player
to be used in the marketplace as regular money in
cerculation at the time. The jetons were gladly
accepted my all merchants in lieu of cash. There
were 200,000 of these casino jetons made, and since
they were backed by the casino, they were as good as
gold.

Then, one day, Monsieur William J.W. Borland decided
to make imitation 2-franc jetons and go on a
spending spree of his own. The 2-franc jetons were
doing real well; the casino was very happy, and
Monsieur Borland was having a ball.

Later down the road a piece, the casino decided to
recall all 200,000 of the 2-franc jetons and issued
a mandate that they must be immediately redeemed,
and that's when the casino learned that the 200,000
jetons had mysteriously grown to 400,000 jetons.

The casino had to accept the pieces as published in
the newspapers without question. Monsieur Borland
retired to Las Vegas, and overnight the imitation
2-franc pieces becam very scarce. Scarce to the
point where they were now worth more to collectors
around the world than the original 2-franc jetons
issued by the casino.

You guessed it.... I wonder if the great, great
drandson of Monsieur Borland ever struck imitation
2-franc jetons that are imitations of the imitation
2-franc jeton that are imitation of the original
2-franc jeton.

The complete actual true story will be part of the
"Casino Tokens of Monte-Carlo" by Thomace C. Day
articles that John Yee will fun in future issues of
our magazine.

Of course there is no Monsieur William J.W. Borland.
(I think!)

JB