Casino Chip of the Day

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I also crossed something off my bucket list that day. I had a 99¢ foot-long hot dog. Word to the wise: It was overpriced.

It might even have moved the bucket closer.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

It made me declare that, as far as strip casinos go, S-A-F is where old slot machines go to die.

I stopped to see it in '09. I thought I'd stepped back to the 1970s. It's not so much that the machines are old, but the whole place feels old.

I think I have had drink service at Slots of Fun recently...

Quote: NicksGamingStuff

I think I have had drink service at Slots of Fun recently...

What? Are you daring to question the reliability of a fact directly quoted from Wikipedia?

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: South Coast

OK, let's admit it right up front. Today's Casino Chip of the Day and tomorrow's chip are from the same casino under different names. I've posted previously in almost the same situation, such as Barbary Coast and Bill's Gamblin' Hall, or Las Vegas Hilton and Las Vegas Hotel, or Horseshoe and Binions. If I got there and collected a chip both before and after the name change, I'll post both ways.

Similarly, I still owe a posting of my Arizona Charlie's Boulder chip (from the same casino as my Arizona Charlie's East chip), since I didn't get that one until after I passed that point in the alphabet. Hopefully I will remember that when I do my other catch-ups at the end of my Nevada casino posts.

Since I need to have something to say about the place tomorrow, I think I'll just tell the first part of the story today. Michael Gaughan, son of Jackie, was the principal (sole?) owner of Coast Casinos, having started the chain with the Barbary Coast in 1979. In 2003, he began construction of a new casino on South Las Vegas Boulevard, far south of the Strip area, with the place to be named South Coast.

In 2004, while the casino was still under construction, Gaughan sold the entire Coast Casinos chain to Boyd Gaming, receiving part of his payment in the form of Boyd stock. The South Coast Casino, considered by some to be Gaughan's pride and joy, opened in December 2005 with him only owning stock in the corporation.

The new casino had the obligatory poker room and the not-quite-so-obligatory bingo hall. Several of the amenities of South Coast were available at other locals' casinos, such as the bowling center and the multi-screen theater complex. However, one feature is perhaps unique among casino complexes: an equestrian center with a 4,400-seat performance arena and accommodations for 1,200 horses. If you like horses enough to provide such a venue attached to a hotel in the desert, of course you air-condition the stalls.

The chip shown below is a pumpkin-colored (the MOGH catalog calls it "ochre") RHC Paulson chip with no edge inserts and a center inlay of matching but graded tone. The color is very similar to that used for other Coast Casinos $1 chips previously posted in this thread, including the Barbary Coast, Gold Coast, and Orleans, though it is quite different from the soon-to-be-posted Suncoast chip. Today's chip was issued in 2005 when the casino opened, as were all of the South Coast chips.

Please post images of your chips from South Coast but hold off on posting chips from the re-named establishment – the time for that will come soon enough!

Quote: Doc

The chip shown below is a pumpkin-colored ...

Interesting.
I usually associate "pumpkin" colored chips as being high value chips. $1,000?

Agreed, DJ, but since I don't have any of those in my collection, I have no basis for comparison. I've heard the high-end chips of various colors referred to as bananas, chocolates, and pumpkins. Never held one of those in my low-roller hands.

Quote: Doc

Never held one of those in my low-roller hands.

Someday you're bound to make a monster craps roll. Just let me know where and when so I can get into the action, ok?

Anyway, it's a very pretty chip. Mr. Gaughn is supposed to be somewhat unconventional vis-a-vis other Vegas casinos anyway. Come on, he welcomes videopoker APs, or at least a notorious VP AP anyway (and even sponsors his radio show). Giving the low rollers a minor thrill in chip color is a small thing in comaprison, if that be the object rather than just an esthetic choice.

Quote: Doc

Agreed, DJ, but since I don't have any of those in my collection, I have no basis for comparison. I've heard the high-end chips of various colors referred to as bananas, chocolates, and pumpkins. Never held one of those in my low-roller hands.

From what I've seen, orange chips are usually $0.50 chips. $1000 chips are usually yellow/gold, $5000 chips are usually brown. I've never seen anything bigger than $5k, so i don't know if larger chips denoms are also orange.

Quote: rdw4potus

From what I've seen, orange chips are usually $0.50 chips. $1000 chips are usually yellow/gold, $5000 chips are usually brown. I've never seen anything bigger than $5k, so i don't know if larger chips denoms are also orange.

Orange chips may be a low value. My 25¢ chip from Joker's Wild is orange.

But once you call it "Pumpkin" then you're talking high-value.

Now that I think of it, the Pumpkins I've seen were $1,000, so that goes with the yellow/gold you describe.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: South Point

What????? Not a single other member had a South Coast chip to post? Can this really be three casinos in a row missing from your collection, rdw4potus? Maybe everyone was just too involved with the latest melodrama in the blonde challenge thread. How can one, non-politics, non-religion discussion have so many passionate and bitter fights over such trivial points? Thanks, everyone, for not bringing such conflict to this thread!

So on with the story of Michael Gaughan and his pride and joy. When we last saw our hero....

He sold his chain of Coast Casinos to Boyd Gaming, and (besides cash and the transfer of debt) he was left with just stock in the corporation when the South Coast Casino construction was completed in December 2005. It was as if he couldn't bear the parting. Seven months later, Gaughan reached an agreement to exchange his Boyd Gaming stock for sole ownership of the one casino. The deal was approved and closed in October 2006, and South Coast was renamed South Point.

Some people felt the name was an attempt to proclaim that the casino established the southern end of the Strip. Some wag suggested it was just Gaughan's way of saving on the cost of replacing the sign out front: only three letters needed to be changed.

Saving a few bucks must not have been the big issue at South Point, because from 2007-08, they added a third hotel tower, one that had been in the initial plans for South Coast to the point of the foundation having been poured as part of the original construction.

The South Point chips (at least the $1 variety) have the same color and lack of edge inserts as the South Coast chips. I guess I need to call it "ochre" as the MOGH catalog does so that no one thinks it is one of those high-roller chips. The revised $1 chip also kept the same font and layout for the center inlay, although the background keeps a uniform tone rather than having the gradation used for yesterday's chip of the day. Of course, this South Point chip was issued in 2006.

This chip, too, is from Paulson, but they did not keep the RHC pattern with the new name. Instead, the name of the casino is molded into the perimeter ring in a script font similar but not quite identical to that on the center inlay. I have said at least from the beginning of this thread that I consider a molded-in name a high-class touch for a casino chip.

In this case, the denomination is also molded in as a text "ONE." I don't think I have ever seen that from any other casino. That type of labeling was also used for the higher valued chips, at least through the black ones, though I haven't checked what they did for the really high rollers. Can you imagine a chip with the molded impression saying "South Point -- Twenty-Five Thousand." Do you think they really did that? Who has one of those to post for us?

UV light reveals the hidden Paluson logo and the repeated name of the casino. Yes, there is that "typo" that we have come to expect in this pattern -- you caught that before even reading this post, didn't you DJTeddyBear?

OK, so I just know that other people have South Point chips -- let's see them!

Quote: Doc

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: South Point

Finally back in the game! Here's my South Point chip. I didn't make it to South Coast before the name change. It took me 9 years after my 21st birthday to make it to vegas for the first time. In retrospect, that was a poor choice on my part. I honestly thought that other casinos could compare. I guess they can on things like rules & comps - just not on hmm...majesty? Ambiance? je ne sais quoi. I should've gone to Vegas much sooner.

Anyway, South Point is a good casino. I've visited a handful of times, and been impressed every time. It's a very well presented place, with a dull-if-consistent feel and generally good games.

Quote: Doc

Instead, the name of the casino is molded into the perimeter ring in a script font similar but not quite identical to that on the center inlay.

Actually, the font for the mold matches the font used for the city. It is NOT the same as the font for the logo.

Quote: Doc

In this case, the denomination is also molded in as a text "ONE." I don't think I have ever seen that from any other casino. That type of labeling was also used for the higher valued chips, at least through the black ones, though I haven't checked what they did for the really high rollers. Can you imagine a chip with the molded impression saying "South Point -- Twenty-Five Thousand." Do you think they really did that

That IS unusual. Very classy move. And if they're gonna do it for each low-value chip, then I would be shocked if they didn't do it for high-value chips as well. Of course, they might have to switch to numbers to make it fit.

Quote: Doc

UV light reveals the hidden Paluson logo and the repeated name of the casino. Yes, there is that "typo" that we have come to expect in this pattern -- you caught that before even reading this post, didn't you DJTeddyBear?

Where did I get that reputation? I'm insulted.
All right, I'm NOT insulted....

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Actually, the font for the mold matches the font used for the city.

Nice catch! I definitely missed that.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Where did I get that reputation? I'm insulted.
All right, I'm NOT insulted....

No insult intended, of course.

But did I guess correctly?

Quote: Doc

But did I guess correctly?

Well, duh! Yeah, I looked at the UV image before reading anything....

Here is my South Point


I would say the color is "brown", but I am more of a 16 crayon box, than a "Pantone" book kind of guy.

I drove past "South Coast" several times on the I15 without stopping in. Mainly because it was far from everything, and it did not have a convenient off-ramp at the time.

South Point's little poker area had a fun mix of tourists and regulars. The dealer's all did a great job keeping the game moving. The casino is a very long rectangle. It feels like a long walk getting from the parking structure entrance to the poker area on the other end of the "long" side.

The craps tables felt odd to me. There is a "Goldilocks" combination of rail height, tub depth, length, and "bounce" that I enjoy; and South Point doesn't have it for me.

Due to the bowling center and movie theatres, there were many families with small kids all over the place. Small kids were sitting at the slot machines near the parking garage entrance since, apparently, there was no other place to wait for gambling mom or dad.

Speaking of waiting, it is actually a convenient place to hang out if you are waiting to pick someone up from the airport. If they call you when they land, the timing works out pretty good if you start walking from the casino to your car in the parking structure, then drive to meet them at the pick up area at the airport.

There's also the bronze statue of Benny Binion on a horse that used to be Downtown in one of the hallways. I understand that Michael Gaughan bought it for a dollar (with the promise that it would be given a nice home). Here is a link to a blog with some pictures.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Stardust

The Stardust Resort and Casino opened in 1958 and was substantially expanded in 1991. It officially closed in November 2006. Wikipedia claims that when the 32-story tower was demolished in March 2007, it was the youngest undamaged high-rise building ever to be demolished.

The Stardust had so many ownership changes that I won't even try to list them. The Wiki page has a rundown that I can't contest, so I will defer to them. Many of the owners had organized crime connections, and there were convictions for skimming during multiple ownerships. In spite of some skeletons in the closet, the Stardust offered a lot of entertainment, gaming, and visual stimulation.

How's this for a bit of irony. One of the first Vegas acts I went to see was magician Rick Thomas performing at the Tropicana in 2003. I saw his act there with his tigers two or three times. There was a strong rumor that the Tropicana was going to close and be torn down, so Rick Thomas left his long-term engagement and moved to the Stardust in 2005. When it closed in 2006, he needed another new theater. He went to the Sahara which subsequently closed, from there to one of the obscure theaters in Planet Hollywood's Miracle Mile, and even announced a planned move to the Riviera last year. I don't know whether he ever opened there. His web site says "new show coming." In spite of that history, that Wiki page describes The Magic of Rick Thomas as "the most successful daytime show in the Strip's history." And the Tropicana still survives.

The fact that the Stardust closed in 2006 opens the distinct possibility that the closure preceded rdw4potus's first venture into Las Vegas and that we will have four out of five consecutive casinos in this thread that are not represented in his extensive collection, with all four of the missing ones located in metro Las Vegas and three of those four on South Las Vegas Boulevard. Amazing, if that turns out to the case.

While I have several chips in my collection that are from casinos that have been demolished, the Stardust is perhaps the only one that I really view as a classic Vegas establishment. I first visited Las Vegas just a few years ahead of rdw, so I missed out on some of the places I would really like to have seen.

The chip shown below is a Bud Jones design that is white with orange edge inserts and details. This pattern is known as DieSuits, for rather obvious reasons, and the chip has the silver coin inlay that I like. Bud Jones started making this type of chip in the 1980s, and the MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued in 1985.

A later Stardust chip from Paulson had the RHC mold pattern but a color and edge insert design very similar to this chip. That Paulson chip, shown on the MOGH catalog page was a rather remarkable commemorative chip – it was issued in 2006 and actually commemorated the closing of the casino, with the inscription, "Celebrate the Legend – Stardust – 1958-2006." I don't know how long those chips were in use, and the MOGH catalog only shows a $1 chip of that design.

Quote: Doc

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Stardust


The fact that the Stardust closed in 2006 opens the distinct possibility that the closure preceded rdw4potus's first venture into Las Vegas and that we will have four out of five consecutive casinos in this thread that are not represented in his extensive collection, with all four of the missing ones located in metro Las Vegas and three of those four on South Las Vegas Boulevard. Amazing, if that turns out to the case.

Yes, I did miss the Stardust. I really wish I didn't. My grandparents stayed at the Stardust every time they visited Vegas for 40 years, and I wish I'd have been able to see what they saw. Now that the Stardust is gone, the grandparents are content to gamble in Phoenix and skip the drive to Vegas. I don't even think they go to Laughlin anymore.

I have the same chip Doc has, and I can't believe I don't have one of the 1980 issue chips somewhere. The Stardust has the distinction of being the first casino I ever visited, in 1979 when I was 18 or 19. I didn't gamble there on that visit but in later years my college buddies and I went there often because they had the most well-known sports book, the largest in a casino at the time I think. I got to see Don Adams of Get Smart fame betting horses there, and shook hands with Jim Brown after he completed a radio broadcast there, both in the early 80's.

I also remember that right by the sports book they had about 3 poker machines that preceeded the video era. They had five decks of mechanical cards that would spin and stop, and you could choose which cards to keep and the other decks would spin again on the draw. Never saw them in any other casino and as soon as video poker machines were developed these machines were mothballed.

I have the same one as you Doc. I think the Boyd group introduced these coin insert chips when they assumed ownership in 1985, because the chips from their Fremont were very similar.

Is there any significance to the eight stars? Seven makes sense as a "lucky" number, and seven pips are on the dice...

Quote: Doc

The MOGH catalog page has a rather remarkable commemorative chip – it was issued in 2006 and actually commemorated the closing of the casino, with the inscription, "Celebrate the Legend – Stardust – 1958-2006." I don't know how long those chips were in use, and the MOGH catalog only shows a $1 chip of that design.

Commemorate the closing? That IS rather unusual. On the other hand, it was something of a party atmosphere. It wasn't going out of business per se, but being razed to make room for something better.

I just HAD to go to that page to take a look at that chip. And I've been inspired to check the catalog more often.


Actually, that page shows the $1 chip you describe, plus a second one that looks like it has digitial imaging errors, plus a $5 chip, and a $1 Fantasy chip (what's a "fantasy" chip?) that are all in that Celebrate the Legend series.

There are several other interesting designs shown. Most remarkable perhaps are FARO chips. One set, stating "Faro Bank" was issued in 1958. Another set, stating only "Faro" was issued in 1985. While it's easy to assume that the digits were transposed in the 1985 set, if that's the case, they were transposed in every chip in that set. I find that hard to accept, meaning that Stardust was still playing Faro well into the late 1980s.

Also unique is a no cash value chip with a denomination of "2.5" That's right. 2.5 not 2.50.


The following spoilers all show the chips directly from that MOGH page.

Quote: Johnzimbo

I also remember that right by the sports book they had about 3 poker machines that preceeded the video era. They had five decks of mechanical cards that would spin and stop, and you could choose which cards to keep and the other decks would spin again on the draw. Never saw them in any other casino and as soon as video poker machines were developed these machines were mothballed.

I previously posted an image of an old machine, which I repeat below. Is this the kind of machine you are describing, Johnzimbo? The photo is of one of the antique machines on display at Harrah's Metropolis.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Is there any significance to the eight stars? Seven makes sense as a "lucky" number, and seven pips are on the dice...

I have no idea, except possibly this: The Wiki page I linked to describes the original Stardust sign (the one that was replaced in 1967) in this way:

Quote: Wiki

The Stardust sign gave visitors a panoramic view of the solar system. At the sign's center sat a 16-foot (4.9 m) diameter plastic model of the Earth. Cosmic rays of neon and electric light bulbs beamed from behind the model earth in all direction. Three-dimensional acrylic glass planets spun alongside 20 scintillating neon starbursts. Across the universe was a jagged galaxy of electric lettering spelling out "Stardust".

Perhaps the eight "stars" on the chip were supposed to represent Earth's companion eight planets long before Pluto was deposed. I couldn't find a really good photo of that sign to post, but here is one from michaelkonik.com:

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Actually, that page shows the $1 chip you describe, plus a second one that looks like it has digitial imaging errors, plus a $5 chip, and a $1 Fantasy chip (what's a "fantasy" chip?) that are all in that Celebrate the Legend series.

Thanks, DJTB. I didn't look far enough down the MOGH page to see all of those chips. I don't know what a "fantasy chip" is unless it is the kind sold in the gift shop and never intended for play in the casino.


So does this single post (replying to three previous posts at once rather than building the post count by replying separately to each) offer a snooty enough reply to the fact that the drama queen thread added more than 200 posts in the past two days, taking over the #2 place in the forum? Once again, I thank everyone who participates here for not letting this thread become like that one.

Quote: Doc

I previously posted an image of an old machine, which I repeat below. Is this the kind of machine you are describing, Johnzimbo? The photo is of one of the antique machines on display at Harrah's Metropolis.

Watling Draw poker machine

The ones I recall were similar only newer than your pic, and the card decks spun on a vertical axis rather than horizontal

Quote: Doc

Perhaps the eight "stars" on the chip were supposed to represent Earth's companion eight planets long before Pluto was deposed.

Hmmm, the only problem would be why the planets are represented as stars when they are spheres on the sign. However, lacking a better explanation, like Copernicus, I'll take it.

I think you guys are reading too much into it.

The "dust" was not necessarily "star" dust. It was the dust that fell after an atomic test blast.

One of the crazy diversions people used to partake in was to watch the blasts, from the roofs of the hotels.

The Stardust sign was designed to emulate a mushroom cloud.

I don't know what the 8 stars infer, but I doubt it was the 8 other planets.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I think you guys are reading too much into it.

The "dust" was not necessarily "star" dust. It was the dust that fell after an atomic test blast.

One of the crazy diversions people used to partake in was to watch the blasts, from the roofs of the hotels.

The Stardust sign was designed to emulate a mushroom cloud.

I don't know what the 8 stars infer, but I doubt it was the 8 other planets.

This is the first I heard that the sign was based on a radioactive cloud of destruction. The sources I have seen always refer to America's newfound facination with space, and, "The Jetson's" animated TV show. Do you have a source for the sign design?

Here is a quote from an undocumented history of The Stardust at a2zlasvegas.com:

Quote: a2zlasvegas.com

The Stardust gave visitors a panorama view of the solar system that exploded beyond the edges of the building. At the sign's center sat a plastic earth which was 16 feet in diameter, formed in slices three feet across, taken from the Sputnik which was off the front pages of the newspaper. Cosmic rays of neon and electric light bulbs pulled out from behind the earth in all direction. Three-dimensional plexiglass planets spun alongside 20 scintillating neon starbursts. Across the universe was a jagged galaxy of electric lettering spelling out "Stardust". The sign utilized 7,100 feet of neon tubing with over 11,000 bulbs along its 216 foot front. The "S" alone contained 975 lamps. At night the neon constellation was reportedly visible 60 miles away.

The roadside sign was freestanding with a circle constraining an amorphous cloud of cosmic dust circled by an orbit ring and covered in dancing stars. The hotel's name was nestled in a galactic cloud. Subsidiary signs marked out the domain of the Stardust at secondary entrances. Lacking the Desert Inn's lawn and fountain, or the Riviera's dramatic front drive, the front of the Stardust was a parking lot with a sign.

"..the front of the Stardust was a parking lot with a sign." That's pretty funny... but true.

Sigh, I can't remember where I read that. And, thinking about it, that might refer to the Dunes sign.

I *think* I read it at the Atomic Testing Museum, but can't be sure. They certainly DID have an exhibit with photos showing people in a party atmosphere, watching a test blast many miles away.

Well, there may be some confusion here. My comment was about the original, pre-1967 Stardust sign which showed planets. DJTeddyBear posted and described the post-1967 sign. I didn't think that one had anything to do with nuclear blasts either.

I think the phenomenon of watching nuclear blasts from Las Vegas was mostly a 50s thing, when just out of town they were conducting atmospheric and surface level tests that created the big clouds. Atmospheric tests were banned by treaty in the early 60s, I think, and by the time the replacement sign was designed and installed, the standard depth for the blast was greater than 100 ft below the surface. I don't think those blasts created a tourist attraction and doubt they led to a "blast dust" sign in front of a Stardust casino.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Stratosphere

In 1974, Bob Stupak opened a slots-only casino called Bob Stupak's World Famous Historic Gambling Museum. It lasted less than two months before burning down. With additional financing, he rebuilt as a hotel and casino to be known as Vegas World, with or without the Bob Stupak name attached. Vegas World opened in 1979 and closed in 1995 to make way for his new dream casino, the Stratosphere.

Stupak envisioned and planned the Stratosphere as an addition to Vegas World and started construction while the earlier casino was still in operation. To raise additional funds, Stupak incorporated and sold shares in Stratosphere Corporation. The observation tower was intended to dwarf the Space Needle in Seattle (which it does) and even exceed the 1,815-foot height of the CN Tower in Toronto. Restrictions related to operation of McCarran airport led to multiple reductions in the planned height, with the final construction reaching 1,149 ft.

The new hotel, casino, and tower opened in 1996 and filed bankruptcy shortly thereafter, leading to a change in ownership. There were several subsequent changes. Wikipedia says that:

Quote: Wiki

It is owned by Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co who purchased American Casino & Entertainment Properties which includes the Stratosphere along with three other properties. The sale closed on February 21, 2008 for US$1.3 billion.

The NGCB license list just shows one of those streams of corporate ownerships: Stratosphere Gaming LLC dba Stratosphere Tower, Casino & Hotel is owned 100% by Stratosphere LLC, which is owned 100% by American Casino and Entertainment Properties LLC, for which the sole owner of voting securities is ACEP Managers Voteco LLC. I guess Whitehall Street is represented there somehow.

The observation tower does offer some remarkable views, and I posted one of my photos from up there in another thread on this site. When I visited the top in 2007, there were three of the thrill rides operating: X-scream, Insanity, and Big Shot. I didn't feel the compulsion to try any of them. The roller coaster "High Roller" had already been removed, and the SkyJump Las Vegas had not been started.

I can't describe the casino area, because I think I only played there once, long before my visit to the observation tower.

The chip shown below is a white RHC Paulson chip with two triangular edge inserts in lime and lavender. The colorful center inlay shows almost a dozen hot air balloons (I think) and a central item that I'm not sure about – it could represent a rocket of some kind, or it could be a representation of the Stratosphere tower. The problem with that guess is that it appears to be airborne and directly above at least one of the balloons. Take your own guesses on that one – I think they intended to represent their own structure but suspended reality as well as the tower.

The MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued in 1996 when the casino opened, and there are three variants of this 1996 chip shown in the catalog. For two of them, UV light will reveal hidden Paulson hat and cane logos in different orientations. The third has no hidden image, and that's the type that I have. Later $1 chips had an identical color scheme but other differences. One from 2003 used the same center inlay on a Blue Chip Company "Sun" mold chip with edge inserts that were rectangular, while a set of 2009 issues was again from Paulson but had a different center inlay and either or both of the SCV and LCV hat and cane molds.

That catalog also shows Stratosphere chips in $2.50 and $4.00 denominations. I guess that $2.50 chips are useful in payouts in blackjack and craps, but what about $4.00; is that a poker room thing?

Please post images of your Stratosphere chips, and if you happen to have an old one from Vegas World, please post that here, too. I don't have one of those.

I mentioned my visit to Strat with my wife in the Slots A Fun thread.

During that visit, I had to try Crapless Craps. The short version is that I had a headache from that game when I left. Down. Boy did that game screw with my head.

We didn't get to the observation deck that day, but a couple years ago, I was in town solo for a wedding professionals seminar, and several of us went to the Top Of The World for dinner. Good dinner although, expectedly pricey. Afterwards, I climbed the stairs one flight to the observation deck, then another flight to the rooftop rides. I didn't have the balls to ride any, but it was a lot of fun watching the crazy people getting on and off.

So, as mentioned in other threads, if you want to sneak up there, go to the restaurant first.


Yeah, a $4 chip is probably for a $4/$8 limit poker game. Then again, it could be a rake chip.


I'm fairly certain that the first chip below was from my first visit, and the second was from that second visit.

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Sadly, I have been to the Stratosphere twice and even Vegas World once but never snagged any chips.

I do recall that when the stratosphere tower was being built it caught on fire and supposedly even today one of the three support egs has a visible bend in it from the fire. I know I read that long ago but have never confirmed this...I'd be curious if anyone could confirm the truth of this.

I had read (I forget where) that the bend in that leg was because they thought it wasn't going to align correctly, but then they realized that it was correct all along, so they had to bend it back.

I DI recall reading about a fire during construction, but it had nothing to do with the bent leg.

I'm back in the game! Here's my Strat chip. I think I've told the story of my trip to the Strat before. My fiancee and I went to the observation deck, and we were working on getting her over her fear of heights so that she could be by the glass & see the views better. I'd just gotten her up to one of the railings, and then the guy next to us jumped off the building. Turns out we were right next to the bungee cage. So yeah, that was the end of that!

Quote: rdw4potus

... then the guy next to us jumped off the building.

Well, you could have been a couple of innocent, unaware bystanders next to these guys.

State: Nevada
City: Las Vegas
Casino: Suncoast

Michael Gaughan built and opened the Suncoast Hotel and Casino as part of his chain of Coast Casinos. The facility is located on Alta Drive on the west side of town, just across a golf course from the Marriott and the Rampart Casino. The Suncoast opened in 2000, about the same time as the Marriott but a year before that resort's Regent Casino became the Rampart. After Gaughan sold Coast Casinos in 2004, the Suncoast has belonged to Boyd Gaming.

I don't remember when I visited Suncoast, but I think I only went out there one time, and it was probably on the same trip that I visited the Rampart.

The chip shown below has no edge inserts and is a bright orange color appropriate for the name "Sun", rather than the ochre (not "pumpkin", sorry) tone discussed a few days back as being common for chips from Gaughan's other Coast Casinos. Like most of the others, though, this one has the casino name and city molded into the perimeter, a touch I particularly like. The center inlay shows only a fiery sun and the denomination. UV light reveals a hidden Paulson hat and cane logo centered on the $1 denomination.

The MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued in 2000 when the casino opened. That catalog includes very few chips from the Suncoast – only this one, a $5 first-year anniversary chip, some promo chips, some roulette chips, and one tournament chip.

Apparently the curator of that museum hasn't been interested enough to assemble images of a full set of Suncoast chips. If enough members post their images of Suncoast chips here, perhaps WoV could be the authoritative resource on those chips. ;-)

I've got the same chip. Been there several times...best memory was attending the 2004 Super Bowl watching party there and one of my friends won a $1,000 door prize. I believe the Suncoast was the first fully-TITO casino when it opened.

I have utterly no recollection of visiting Suncoast. I'm sure I've been there once and only once. Apparently it was pretty vanilla if I can't differentiate it from any other locals joint that I visited (though I do have distinct memories of most of the others).

Unrelated to today's chip of the day, but still on the topic of chips and collecting ....

In the recent/current thread that discusses the sanctity of private messages (geez!), I posted that I had engaged in a PM with another member about the availability of a new chip, and that I didn't think either of us would care if the entire discussion were made public. Anyway, I'll just say that I have learned from a very reliable source that new chips are now in play at The D in downtown Las Vegas. I offered to give that member credit for that info when I posted it here. He says that is not necessary, though I don't think he is trying to keep anything secret. He just says that anyone who has been in the place in the past few days would know about this.

Now I really expect that anyone who has spent time around this forum can figure out who is the most likely source of reliable info about what is going on at The D, so I'll let someone else mention his name, and maybe he will join in the discussion and tell you what it was like when the changeover was made.

I have learned that the chip is made with the Blue Chip Company's "Sun" mold, like the ones I posted here from the CasaBlanca in Mesquite and from the Golden Gate on Fremont Street. I'm looking forward to getting my souvenir from The D on my next visit.

And that leads me to the subject of my next trip and my next planned absence from this thread. My wife and I will be making another trip to Las Vegas, points in CA and AZ, Laughlin, and back to Las Vegas from Aug 28 thru Sep 6, getting home on the 7th. I anticipate picking up a total of five new chips on this trip, including one from The D. That will allow me to post that one when I do my catchup on skipped Nevada casinos when I get to the end of the alphabet for Nevada casinos around the middle of September.

Quote: rdw4potus

I have utterly no recollection of visiting Suncoast. I'm sure I've been there once and only once. Apparently it was pretty vanilla if I can't differentiate it from any other locals joint that I visited (though I do have distinct memories of most of the others).

Suncoast feels a lot like South Pointe (old South Coast) to me, except South Coast/Pointe has higher ceilings in the table game area. It is the closest casino to where my relatives live, and that's where they did all their eating/bowling/whatever. When it opened, it was considered a very nice property; now it looks worn down and tired.

Quote: Tiltpoul

Suncoast feels a lot like South Pointe (old South Coast) to me, except South Coast/Pointe has....

Typo! If Michael Gaughan had changed the name of the South Coast to South "Pointe", he would not have been able to get away with just changing three letters on the sign out front; he would have needed to change those letters, add one more, and maybe modify the whole sign to make it fit/align! ;-)

State: Nevada
City: Henderson
Casino: Sunset Station

I would say that Sunset Station is "obviously" part of Station Casinos, except that so many people use that same line of thinking to a belief that Main Street Station is part of the same company. In this case, it is true. Sunset Station is located on Sunset Road in Henderson and is clearly visible from I-515. It seems to be surrounded by shopping malls, the largest of which is Galleria at Sunset.

Sunset Station opened on June 10, 1997, and the MOGH catalog shows a Grand Opening chip with that date on it. I think it takes a bit of guts to have such confidence of an opening date that you make the chips up that way. Of course, they could have had a soft opening two months before and waited for the date on the chip to call it "Grand." I don't know. In any case, Sunset Station was the first attempt by the company to open an upscale locals casino, an approach which was continued and emphasized with Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock Resort.

Sunset Station was significantly expanded in both 1999 and 2005, with the second expansion including a bowling center, a feature that has become popular with locals casinos. I don't think they have ever added a multi-screen theater complex, which seems to be the other "fad."

The chip shown below is a (very dirty) white RHC Paulson chip with two triangular edge inserts (partially covered by the center inlay) in turquoise and whatever you want to call that pinkish tan shade – I probably should give up on naming chip colors other than white, red, green, and black. The mostly-white center inlay has a multi-color denomination, an outline/shadow-font city name, and the hotel-casino name and sunset logo. UV light reveals a hidden Paulson hat and cane logo and the fact that the turquoise edge insert fluoresces.

The MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued in 1997 when the casino opened. Most of the other Sunset Station chips shown in that catalog are limited edition commemoratives or other specialty chips, though it does show one basic $5 chip. Can some members post other Sunset Station chip images here?

State: Nevada
City: Crystal Bay
Casino: Tahoe Biltmore

Hmmmm. Not a single chip image or even a single comment posted in reply to yesterday's Casino Chip of the Day. Either the Sunset Station doesn't hold much interest for folks, or Sunday was not the day to be discussing chips. So on to another day....

The Tahoe Biltmore is the last (alphabetically) of the Lake Tahoe casinos represented in my chip collection. It is in the Crystal Bay community on the north end of the lake and is located very close to the California state line, with one boundary of the property being Stateline Road. The building has a stone-faced mountain chalet design which is perhaps appropriate for the winter sports theme of the area.

I visited the Tahoe Biltmore the day that my wife and I took a ride around the lake last October. None of the four casinos I went in seemed very active that day, and I think the Biltmore casino had just one blackjack table in operation late that afternoon. The other players there seemed to be the type of customers who had dropped in for a beer and played some blackjack while they were there. I broke even and got my souvenir chip, so all was fine for me.

There is no Wikipedia page for the Tahoe Biltmore, and the hotel's web site says little more than that they have 113 reasonably priced rooms and a ballroom appropriate for hosting weddings. I have not found a detailed history of the place. The MOGH catalog says that the casino opened in 1948, closed in 1957, and re-opened in 1986.

The NGCB license list has a record going back to the 1986 re-opening, showing that Tahoe Biltmore Inc. dba Tahoe Biltmore Lodge was directed by Charles Zanay for two years and then by his estate. The latest info in that document is that since January 2009, Tahoe Biltmore Inc. has been 100% owned by Boulder Bay Gaming LLC, which is 100% owned by Heather Lynn Bacon.

Apparently she had plans for a half billion dollar project to develop a destination resort with a combination of a hotel and partial- or whole-ownership condominiums. One report said she had plans to start construction in mid-2009 and be complete by 2014. I don't remember seeing any evidence of that project last fall.

The chip shown below is a blue RHC Paulson chip with no edge inserts and a reasonable degree of color co-ordination with the center inlay – the water doesn't match, but the casino name and denomination have a tone gradation that ends very similar to the base chip. The MOGH catalog says that this chip was issued in 2002.

Can a lodge casino in Tahoe generate more interest than a Station casino in Henderson?

Quote: Doc

Hmmmm. Not a single chip image or even a single comment posted in reply to yesterday's Casino Chip of the Day. Either the Sunset Station doesn't hold much interest for folks, or Sunday was not the day to be discussing chips.

Probably the latter. I've never been there so I have nothing to add. However...


I was curious about the UV. The blue insert appears to glow thru the inlay, but I decided that that's not the case, but merely that UV light plays tricks with the camera. Then I noticed a small UV line near the D in Henderson.

Upon comparing this to the regular light version, there appears to be a drip of blue ink in the same position.

This further supports the argument I've made in the past that, at least with some chips, the edge "inserts" aren't inserts at all, but painted/printed on afterwards.



I have nothing to add about the Biltmore.

There is (was?) a Biltmore hotel in Los Angeles. I wonder if the two are (were?) related? I've always assumed "Biltmore" was someone's family name, but does it have another meaning?

I've never been to that particular property in Lake Tahoe. Is the image completely fictitious, or does it represent the local view?

I've never been to or even heard of the Tahoe Biltmore until today. All I can contribute is that my Chip Price Guide says it opened in 1946, closed in 1958 when it became the Nevada Lodge, until 1986 when it reverted to being the Tahoe Biltmore

Doc do you think it has anything to do with the Biltmore Estate in beautiful North Carolina?

Quote: bigfoot66

Doc do you think it has anything to do with the Biltmore Estate in beautiful North Carolina?

That "Biltmore" was an estate constructed for the Vanderbilt's in the late 1800's. So I guess it isn't someone's name, but a "thing" after all.

The hotel in Los Angles, which opened in 1923, is still there. Apparently the firm that designed it also designed a "Biltmore" in Miami.

There were/areB quite a few hotels named Biltmore, some associated with others and some not. This Wiki page lists some of them and tells their histories. It begins by saying of the Bowman-Biltmore hotel chain:

Quote: Wiki

Bowman-Biltmore Hotels was a chain created by hotel magnate John McEntee Bowman.

The name evokes the Vanderbilt family's Biltmore Estate, whose buildings and gardens within are privately owned historical landmarks and tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The name has since been adopted by other unrelated hotels. For a time, the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corporation was a publicly traded company.

Because I lived near it at one time, I am most familiar with the Biltmore in Atlanta. There are other businesses that use the Biltmore label, and I have no idea how/why the Tahoe Biltmore got its name, since I can find no history of it.

Quote: DJTeddyBear (about the Sunset Station chip)

I was curious about the UV. The blue insert appears to glow thru the inlay, but I decided that that's not the case, but merely that UV light plays tricks with the camera. Then I noticed a small UV line near the D in Henderson.

Upon comparing this to the regular light version, there appears to be a drip of blue ink in the same position.

This further supports the argument I've made in the past that, at least with some chips, the edge "inserts" aren't inserts at all, but painted/printed on afterwards.

I have to disagree and say I think your very first thought was correct -- the fluorescent edge insert can be seen through the center inlay. Yes, there are spurious fluorescent specks on several of my chips, but I don't think they are ink spots. I think there has been transfer of a small particle of clay, probably during the manufacturing process or possibly from two chips scraping together in later use. I think that if you cut into any of the edge inserts on these chips you would find that the color goes all the way through.

An exception would be the chips from Bud Jones, including the ones I have posted in this thread from Atlantis, Club CalNeva, Club Fortune, Colorado Belle, Hacienda, Las Vegas Hilton, New Frontier, Sands Regency, Slots-A-Fun, and Stardust (with more to come). Those chips have colored spots, dashes, and letters on the faces and even on the edge, that probably, or even obviously, do not go all the way through the chip. I suspect that some of the colors may connect within the chips, but I do not know and would still like to learn a lot more about the manufacturing processes.