some information I got at a yard sale in Las Vegas. For a dollar I bought what appears to be a class year book for the Bellagio. It is chock full of pictures from the planning stages to the final construction of the facility. According to the forward, this nearly 500 page book, was prepared as a gift to each and every Bellagio employee at the time of opening.

It contains yearbook type pictures of all employees, categorized by work area. The pictures from the "Gaming" section include many shots of paper money with the Bellagio "B" in the center of the bill. There are also numerous shot of chips in racks and all of them appear to have gold Hot Stamp cancellation marks (a pin-wheel pattern).
The setting seems to be a pre-opening event. The book is rather handsome, it has a raised surface with the Bellagio name and their stylized "B". The lower right corner has a spot to foil stamp the recipients name. It comes in a black cardboard box that has a space to write-in the recipients name.

My copy belonged to a photographer that participated in the book. His name appears as the recipient, but is not listed inside the book. I guess people not in the book were also given copies.

I would be interested in the chips if anyone has any. I will post a scan of some of the photos later. Jim, I guess that one of the pictures (showing a dealer holding the Bellagio dollars) positively connects the dollars to the Bellagio. (No big deal if already have such proof.)

Regards, Jim Follis