- Welcome to Casino Collectibles Association.
News:
Click https://ccgtcc.com to visit the CCA website!
Notice: Accounts with no first/last name will be "banned" until fixed. Contact admin for help.
Recent posts
#1
General Discussion / Re: Seeking Ideas for a Conven...
Last post by Bob Miksztal R-8909 - Nov 15, 2024, 05:57 PM"Where collecting and history meet"
#2
General Discussion / Re: Seeking Ideas for a Conven...
Last post by Bob Miksztal R-8909 - Nov 04, 2024, 09:50 AMMaybe "all about chips...and more!" ?
#3
History of... / Cuba stuff on MOGH; Kudos to D...
Last post by Bob Pardue CLM-0003-40 - Nov 03, 2024, 01:04 PMOn occasion, I do searches on MOGH's ChipGuide, just for entertainment and education. (The ChipGuide is a "national treasure" for all casino collectibles/gambling history enthusiasts, IMO.) I perform a search on Dice from Cuba, just to see what comes up. I have a few dice and a few chips from Cuba, but not my specialty area at all. Just doing this for fun. All pics shown are from MOGH/ChipGuide.
So, here's my payoff.
1. Dice from Habana Hilton, with map of Cuba on one side.
That's fun! Next dice from Wilbur Clark's place in Cuba. (The Wilbur Clark of LV Desert Inn fame.)
2. Next, some dice from the Tropicana in Cuba. Various pairs, including a Left Clark's pair with a handgun pic on one side. Very provocative -- you won't see that in today's casinos! There's more to Lefty, via Miami & mob, but I'll leave that for another time.
3. The Cuban Tropicana entire listing is a treasure trove of info and pics. Linked here:
http://chipguide.themogh.org/cg_chip2.php?id=CUHATR&s=&v=158230579
Some of their chips say "Monte Y Dado". After some translating, it appears Monte is a Spanish gambling game (see Wikipedia "Monte Bank" listing) and "Dado" can be Spanish slang for dice. So, special chips for the Monte and Craps tables it would seem? Didn't know any of that until now.
My shoutouts of appreciation to the following:
--MOGH/ChipGuide. What a national (international!) treasure, and searchable!, for all things casino/gambling related.
--"Go-with" collectors of all things beyond chips. I mostly collect chips, but without all the other collectibles (dice, cards, players cards, postcards, advertising, ephemera, historical stuff, etc.) it wouldn't be as rich.
--All the contributors who share their images for the rest of us to see. Thanks!
Now, will one of our Cuban specialists please publish a book on the area? Something like the "Noir Afloat" book that's about off-shore California gambling? That would be amazing! I need to hang out with the Cuban specialists at the next chip show.You cannot view this attachment.
Now, here's images, as many as I'm allowed to post. Enjoy.
So, here's my payoff.
1. Dice from Habana Hilton, with map of Cuba on one side.
That's fun! Next dice from Wilbur Clark's place in Cuba. (The Wilbur Clark of LV Desert Inn fame.)
2. Next, some dice from the Tropicana in Cuba. Various pairs, including a Left Clark's pair with a handgun pic on one side. Very provocative -- you won't see that in today's casinos! There's more to Lefty, via Miami & mob, but I'll leave that for another time.
3. The Cuban Tropicana entire listing is a treasure trove of info and pics. Linked here:
http://chipguide.themogh.org/cg_chip2.php?id=CUHATR&s=&v=158230579
Some of their chips say "Monte Y Dado". After some translating, it appears Monte is a Spanish gambling game (see Wikipedia "Monte Bank" listing) and "Dado" can be Spanish slang for dice. So, special chips for the Monte and Craps tables it would seem? Didn't know any of that until now.
My shoutouts of appreciation to the following:
--MOGH/ChipGuide. What a national (international!) treasure, and searchable!, for all things casino/gambling related.
--"Go-with" collectors of all things beyond chips. I mostly collect chips, but without all the other collectibles (dice, cards, players cards, postcards, advertising, ephemera, historical stuff, etc.) it wouldn't be as rich.
--All the contributors who share their images for the rest of us to see. Thanks!
Now, will one of our Cuban specialists please publish a book on the area? Something like the "Noir Afloat" book that's about off-shore California gambling? That would be amazing! I need to hang out with the Cuban specialists at the next chip show.You cannot view this attachment.
Now, here's images, as many as I'm allowed to post. Enjoy.
#4
General Discussion / "It's More Than Chips"
Last post by Mike Nawrocki R-8733 - Nov 03, 2024, 08:47 AMHow about a spin on the entirety of the casino collectibles hobby - with the convention theme this year focusing on the collectibles other than the chips? (Silver Strikes, Cards, Ashtrays, Matchbooks, Swizzle Sticks, Postcards, etc.)
Other variations:
"Its About More Than Chips"
"We're About More Than Chips"
....
With the end of physical Casino Chips seeming more and more likely to arrive within the next 10-20 years, a pivot to make sure we are not entirely reliant on Chips seems like a logical message to promote.
Add your additional ideas Please!
-- Mike
Other variations:
"Its About More Than Chips"
"We're About More Than Chips"
....
With the end of physical Casino Chips seeming more and more likely to arrive within the next 10-20 years, a pivot to make sure we are not entirely reliant on Chips seems like a logical message to promote.
Add your additional ideas Please!
-- Mike
#5
Identification Help / Re: "5 Free Nickels" chip - Fr...
Last post by Barry Sherwood R-9037 (admin) - Nov 01, 2024, 10:04 AMI like the analysis. Now we just need one side or the other to confirm and change.
Thanks!
Thanks!
#6
Identification Help / Re: "5 Free Nickels" chip - Fr...
Last post by Bob Pardue CLM-0003-40 - Oct 31, 2024, 11:29 PMI'm late to the party (replying 7 1/2 months after your post! 
) but I'll take a shot --
My vote is for Las Vegas, not Henderson. Here's my logic, though only conjecture:
Both Royal Casinos had slots (per Fuller's Index), but Royal Casino-Henderson was only open 1960-1964, and the "5 Free Nickels" plastic chip seems newer.
Royal Casino-Las Vegas was open 1971-1988, a more likely timeframe, IMO. Furthermore, Royal Casino LV was a small off-strip place at 99 Convention Center Drive. A small place that took up about half of the 1st floor public space as I recall (I was in it personally a few times.) Low roller place with slots and a few live games. Definitely nickel machines in there at that time period. I could see a cheap promotion, valued at 25c, to induce walk-ins to pump a few coins in one of their machines.
What clinches the LV location for me is there's a similar chip (H&C Hot stamped - purple) reading "Royal Casino - 5 Free Nickels" too. See pic below, from MOGH/ChipGuide. I can see them ordering these H&C's originally, for the 5-Nickels promotion, then when they ran out of them / lost them / etc., they figured that a reorder would cost more to make than the 25c inducement value. So they got a box of cheap plastic chips, had stickers made, and had someone paste them on in their spare time.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
(And... the plastic chip should "graduate" from Henderson to LV too.)
) but I'll take a shot --My vote is for Las Vegas, not Henderson. Here's my logic, though only conjecture:
Both Royal Casinos had slots (per Fuller's Index), but Royal Casino-Henderson was only open 1960-1964, and the "5 Free Nickels" plastic chip seems newer.
Royal Casino-Las Vegas was open 1971-1988, a more likely timeframe, IMO. Furthermore, Royal Casino LV was a small off-strip place at 99 Convention Center Drive. A small place that took up about half of the 1st floor public space as I recall (I was in it personally a few times.) Low roller place with slots and a few live games. Definitely nickel machines in there at that time period. I could see a cheap promotion, valued at 25c, to induce walk-ins to pump a few coins in one of their machines.
What clinches the LV location for me is there's a similar chip (H&C Hot stamped - purple) reading "Royal Casino - 5 Free Nickels" too. See pic below, from MOGH/ChipGuide. I can see them ordering these H&C's originally, for the 5-Nickels promotion, then when they ran out of them / lost them / etc., they figured that a reorder would cost more to make than the 25c inducement value. So they got a box of cheap plastic chips, had stickers made, and had someone paste them on in their spare time.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
(And... the plastic chip should "graduate" from Henderson to LV too.)
#7
General Discussion / Re: Greetings fellow CCA membe...
Last post by Barry Sherwood R-9037 (admin) - Oct 31, 2024, 01:48 PMPoof! You're now a Bob.
#8
General Discussion / Re: Greetings fellow CCA membe...
Last post by Jim Follis LM-3872-53 - Oct 30, 2024, 06:26 PMHey Bob! Welcome to the CCA's New Forum. Glad you are here. Very glad to have your expertise and awareness here.
#9
General Discussion / Seeking Ideas for a Convention...
Last post by Mike Nawrocki R-8733 - Oct 29, 2024, 01:34 PMThe 32nd Annual CCA Casino Collectibles Show is scheduled at The South Point Resort Casino for June 12-14, 2025.
There is much work that needs to be done between now and then and one of the first dominos to fall is selecting the Convention Theme.
Working with our new Convention Chairs (David and Leslie Sowell) as well as the Publicity Director (Brad Smith) and the Social Media Director (Paul Schaffer), we need to get the theme selected in the coming weeks.
So we are asking for your ideas about some themes to consider for our 32nd convention.
Please simply reply to this post in the next 2 weeks with your ideas and on or around November 18th, the Convention Chairs, with input from Brad and Paul, will select a theme and submit it to the Board of Directors for approval.
Some Early Suggestions already being considered include:
I've attached some of the previous Convention Themes for inspiration.
You cannot view this attachment.
For future years, we are considering a process where we will solicit input from the general membership each Spring and will select 3-5 Themes as finalists and then set up a Voting box at the club table during the next convention. We will then announce the winner in the next edition of the magazine.
If you have any questions, please contact me at mike.nawrocki@tfcgi.com.
There is much work that needs to be done between now and then and one of the first dominos to fall is selecting the Convention Theme.
Working with our new Convention Chairs (David and Leslie Sowell) as well as the Publicity Director (Brad Smith) and the Social Media Director (Paul Schaffer), we need to get the theme selected in the coming weeks.
So we are asking for your ideas about some themes to consider for our 32nd convention.
Please simply reply to this post in the next 2 weeks with your ideas and on or around November 18th, the Convention Chairs, with input from Brad and Paul, will select a theme and submit it to the Board of Directors for approval.
Some Early Suggestions already being considered include:
- Keep Calm and Double Down. The 2025 Casino Collectibles Show.
- Where Casino History Lives! The 2025 Casino Collectibles Show.
- Glitz, Glamor and Gaming. The 2025 Casino Collectibles Show. (the three Gs)
I've attached some of the previous Convention Themes for inspiration.
You cannot view this attachment.
For future years, we are considering a process where we will solicit input from the general membership each Spring and will select 3-5 Themes as finalists and then set up a Voting box at the club table during the next convention. We will then announce the winner in the next edition of the magazine.
If you have any questions, please contact me at mike.nawrocki@tfcgi.com.
#10
General Discussion / Re: A Note About the ChipGuide
Last post by Barry Sherwood R-9037 (admin) - Oct 28, 2024, 07:48 AMHi, Charles. Thanks for adding those monitors and tools (good stuff), but I don't think you sped up the system at all which makes me wonder whether the bots are actually a/the problem. My test for the speed of the chipguide lies in running the trademaker feature. I have 65 chips in my want list and trademaker looks to see if anyone else has any of my 65 chips in their trade list. It has, and still does, take well over 30 seconds to run.
You and I have already discussed this, but I'm throwing this out to the board in case other techie/nerdy people like myself (and you, if you don't mind the compliment) can offer some solutions.
Server response is primarily based on a) CPU speed, b) available memory, c) fetch time (disk speed, latency, RPMs if traditional HD), and d) programming efficiency.
You mentioned that your current hosting provider offered to upgrade you to a faster, newer platform for the same (or reduced?) monthly cost. I believe you said they'd handle the migration so you wouldn't have to do anything (except backup the current site, just in case). What's the progress on that? My last email to you on the subject was 9/28 in case you need to look for it.
I offered to make a copy of the site to my server, which I wouldn't suggest is the absolute best, fastest on the planet, but it's darn good, response time is phenomenal and there are thousands of websites hosted on it. If the chipguide performs similarly on my system, then the problem is likely not in the server specs and we should look more closely at the programming and database implementation (see next paragraph). All I need to help facilitate this is root access. I will not do anything on your server to cause problems. I'm a seasoned linux system administrator and know my way around quite well.
If/when we start looking at programming performance, this is where Ross Poppel (and others?) could have a huge positive impact as databases are his jam. It could be a simple indexing issue. Or some code that loops unnecessarily. Or makes calls to routines where the result doesn't get used. I've got a programming background, and I'll help where I can, but I would certainly defer to Ross' more recent and relevant skills.
I believe that some combination of the above can take the 30-40 second trademaker benchmark and get it down to under 2 seconds. Let's make it happen. I'm ready.
You and I have already discussed this, but I'm throwing this out to the board in case other techie/nerdy people like myself (and you, if you don't mind the compliment) can offer some solutions.
Server response is primarily based on a) CPU speed, b) available memory, c) fetch time (disk speed, latency, RPMs if traditional HD), and d) programming efficiency.
You mentioned that your current hosting provider offered to upgrade you to a faster, newer platform for the same (or reduced?) monthly cost. I believe you said they'd handle the migration so you wouldn't have to do anything (except backup the current site, just in case). What's the progress on that? My last email to you on the subject was 9/28 in case you need to look for it.
I offered to make a copy of the site to my server, which I wouldn't suggest is the absolute best, fastest on the planet, but it's darn good, response time is phenomenal and there are thousands of websites hosted on it. If the chipguide performs similarly on my system, then the problem is likely not in the server specs and we should look more closely at the programming and database implementation (see next paragraph). All I need to help facilitate this is root access. I will not do anything on your server to cause problems. I'm a seasoned linux system administrator and know my way around quite well.
If/when we start looking at programming performance, this is where Ross Poppel (and others?) could have a huge positive impact as databases are his jam. It could be a simple indexing issue. Or some code that loops unnecessarily. Or makes calls to routines where the result doesn't get used. I've got a programming background, and I'll help where I can, but I would certainly defer to Ross' more recent and relevant skills.
I believe that some combination of the above can take the 30-40 second trademaker benchmark and get it down to under 2 seconds. Let's make it happen. I'm ready.