As you will already know from previous posts, the chips from the Platinum collection were purchased by David Sarles & Mike Christensen and were available for sale at the show. Some of you may know that three chips in that collection were of particular significance to my research on the Osborne counterfeits and I had already obtained permission from Howdy Herz to use the scans of the chips in my article, when I update it at a later date. Those scans are shown below (Genuine chips at top, Osbornes below)

I appreciate the debate over whether the characteristics of these chips can finitely distinguish them between chips in play and those manufactured after the casinos closed will probably continue for the rest of my life. However, armed with the knowledge that my distinction of the comparative Castaways chips was recently proved correct without doubt by the manufacturers records, I am prepared to state the following about these chips:

Bingo Palace $100 - This notched example is the first such recorded with rounded edges and concentric circles. The composition of the chip is different from the Osborne chip.

Sahara Tahoe $100 - Exactly the same comments apply.

Sahara Tahoe $500 - As well as displaying the same characteristics once more, this chip is in a completely different color to the original. It is not listed in TCR or James' book, although James did tell me long ago that he onced owned a genuine example, and he wished he had never sold it. I dont know whether this is the chip he referred to or if this is now the second one known.

Perhaps I am the only person alive who places any significance in these three possibly unique chips or perhaps I was lucky that the new owners of the Platinum collection dont share my beliefs over the distinctions

So firstly, I am indebted to David Sarles for virtually 'giving' me the two Tahoe chips as he knew how important they were to me, and also for his generosity in actually giving me several other chips from the collection that I needed as a gift.

Im similarly indebted to Mike Christensen for providing me with the $100 Bingo Palace, particularly as I entered the show not even knowing if we were on speaking terms following a recent 'disagreement' on this board, and also knowing that maybe Mike really did want to hang onto this chip as a collector of Vegas $100 chips himself. Id also like to express my thanks to Mike for his 'gifts' from the collection.

Id also like to add my thanks to the same two gentlemen, and in addition Jim Blanchard, for the many hours (it seems ) of constructive debate and discussion over the past 3 days over recent controversial topics, and also many important and interesting matters of chip history.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show and thought it was a great success.

ENJOY!