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WHAT SHOULD I COLLECT?
By Steve Cutler

I contracted the collecting bug when I was eight years old, starting with coins. Over the years I have gotten much pleasure putting together numerous collections of one type or another ranging from swizzle sticks to fine art.

Casino collectables turned out to be the one I embraced the most, in fact I created four different museums in three different cities that were comprised of gaming artifacts. The collection that I amassed over the years numbered well over a half million different items.

Casino collectables can encompass a multitude of different items, some, one of a kind and some mass produced and everything in between. I personally collected every category, just about every collector of casino memorabilia I have ever met collects several categories. I have listed some of those categories in the picture.

As you can see the possibilities are endless and I have only listed the obvious. One of the questions I am often asked is “What should I collect?”. I will never tell anyone what to collect as the answer is simple. Collect what gives you pleasure. Casino collectables are so diverse we can collect items that may enhance your primary collection. The El Rancho Vegas was a casino that I focused on as it was the first resort built on Highway 91 now known as the legendary Strip. Because I had a display that focused on this one property, I went out of my way to acquire anything related to it. Club member “Mr. Sahara” focuses on the Sahara and has put together a museum quality collection of Sahara artifacts.

The one piece of advice I often give is “Stay focused”, it is impossible to collect everything. The other advice I offer freely is “Do not buy artifacts as an investment”, this is a hobby. If you purchase something and it appreciates in value, consider yourself lucky. If you are trying to make money, I suggest you see your realtor or stockbroker.