The magazine arrived in IN today, and I see I screwed up. I apparently forwarded the questionnaires and answers to Allen Anderson back in August rather that the articles I wrote (except in the case of Brian Cashman). My only explanation is that the deadline was in August and when I sent them I was still heavily medicated from my fall. I have included the actual articles below, I hope Allen gives me another opportunity. I have a few thoughts on the mag as a whole which I will share later.

Birds of a Feather

Mike Heron is in many ways the typical teacher. His interests, even in a non traditional hobby like ours, scream teacher.

Mike has been married for 35 years to Janice, a woman he dated for less than 6 weeks. But they are happily married, and their daughter Joan is now married and teaching just like dear old dad. Mike served in the Air Force where he delivered mail to Iwo Jima. He even had the opportunity to see the Tokyo Olympics while on leave (didn’t get any chips though). After his hitch in the service, Mike taught school and coached for 34 years. Mike is now retired to fishing (really), but still likes to keep his hands in with the schools.

Mike got involved with collecting when he was flying gamblers into Laughlin to earn a few extra bucks. He would fly them in for a night of gambling, go to the Riverside ad play a little, grab some dinner, and then go back to sleep on the plane till the others were ready to go (I wonder if this means he is flighty?). On one trip he ended up with a left over $5 chip, and began collecting up all the $5 chips in Laughlin. He now collects $5 chips, primarily from small towns (but anywhere is great), he also likes California card rooms and Native American casinos. He has even stumbled upon collections of Atlantic City and Colorado chips.

He sometimes thinks about the chips he has held, but didn’t harvest. How may of us remember chips that we had in our hot little hands before we were collectors. But occasionally, Mike was able to get lucky. He was able to get a chip from the Old West Inn, where they weren’t inclined to have their chips harvested. This, along with the Riverside chip that got him started, are his favorites.

But Mike’s real love in the hobby is the people. He enjoys socializing with other collectors, telling and hearing stories. He likes to volunteer at the convention, because it gives him an opportunity to meet lots of new members and see old friends-besides it is hard to look at chips all day.

He told me a few stories, such as, from the last convention, where he and Geri Hempel were trying to sell club watches to folks who weren’t really interested. The club didn’t make much money, but they sure had fun. He also enjoyed sitting down with a fellow old teacher, Travis Lewin, and had a very interesting discussion about Native Americans, a chance to learn is a trademark of Mike’s as is seems to be with most teachers.

Mike also tells a cautionary tale about not telling your wife everything. He, Janice and Rick Minor were working the club boothe a couple of years ago, and Janice saw where Mike had purchased one of the ‘outhouse’ chips for $100 to support the building fund. Her response entertained everybody but poor old Mike. I hope Mike learned from that one (hide your indiscretions better). Mike also confesses to not always listening to others when he should. He has purchased a couple of high end chips that he not only had in his collection, but the seller told him he had. Mike bought them anyway. I wonder how Janice felt about that?

One of the questions I asked Mike was what advice he would give new members just starting out. That is when the teacher poured out at me. He wrote out nine answers to the question. I will share it this way, if you are new to the hobby, and want to hear some sage advice, a few good stories, and make a new friend, then reach out to Mike-he’ll reach back. But be careful, he is willing to sell his collection.

The Horse Chipper

Those of you who frequent Greg Susong’s Chip Board are aware of sportie pam’s (aka Pam Holmgren’s) interest in horses and horse related chips. But how many of you are aware that Pam is actually a second generation collector?

Pam has only been actively involved in chip collecting for the last few years, but her Mom began saving chips from family vacations way back in the 1970s. Over the years the family displayed the chips and Pam started bringing more home for her Mom when she traveled to Vegas. This grew into a nice little group of chips.

Pam’s interest in horses also is a function of her parents. Her Father taught her all about horses and handicapping when they would go to beautiful old Arlington Park. Her Father taught her all sorts of important skills, like how to play craps. Dads in Chicago do things like that.

Pam visited Vegas with her parents for many years (taking advantage of her employment to get free flights into LA). They began staying at the Hacienda where they became known as regulars and began to get comped rooms and such. They were loyal to the Hacienda until it closed, then moved to the Stardust (sadly gone now as well). Pam misses the days of the Hacienda when there were fewer crowds.

When Pam’s parents passed away, she became the standard bearer for the family collection, and as so many of us have done, began looking on the internet. This is where she met Jeff Buckner who persuaded her to join the CCGTCC and to get more involved in the hobby. Pam was surprised to see how many horse chips there were on Jeff’s site, and has continued to be surprised at all the horse related items she sees, or fellow collectors direct her to.

Pam enjoys sharing stories and visiting with friends; and found plenty of both at her first convention last year. She is looking forward to more of the same at the 15th Convention in August. She told me a fun story about how she got to play golf with Arnold Palmer. Arnie (the man has his own army for gosh sake, I’ll call him Arnie) was a spokesman for Pam’s company, and her employer sponsored a company wide tournament for the employees. But it wasn’t just best score, it was the best score on a pre selected group of holes (which ones were unknown to the participants). Pam was lucky and qualified to go play at Arnies private course. She didn’t tell me who won, perhaps she is saving that pleasure for the convention.

Remembering her own experiences as a newbie, Pam says she would encourage other new members to not spend beyond their means, and to take advantage of the guides and other information available. Like so many collectors, she lacked the information to make the best choices initially, but with experience, and the help of old pros, she is becoming quite the collector.

Pam’s interests are clearly shaped by the influences of her parents. She is always going to be known for her love of horse chips, but she is also interested in items related to the Hacienda and the Stardust. She has put together a nice collection of $1 chips which can be seen on her site at the collection library. Her traders and wanted chips can be seen there as well. WWW.COLLECTIONLIBRARY.COM/SPORTIEPAM

I hope you all get a chance to meet Pam in person and get a chance to share a story or two.

What is that Beneath My Floor?

On a dark and stormy night, as you lose yourself in the twisted woods of the chipping world, you will come upon an eerie old house. As you begin up the creaky steps, your hear a scream somewhere in the fog, and a cackle from behind the boarded up windows. You slowly look through the door and back in the corner you see a shadow, with eyes burning red, and white sharp teeth with blood dripping from the tips. The creature speaks, “if those are for the grab bags, put them on the table over there”.

You will have found the fiendish inner world of Debby Meister. Debby is a fan of Halloween, there is no denying that. She appears to be a fairly normal individual, but when the moon is full, and the fog rolls in off the moor, she begins to conjure, and out of the recesses of her creative imagination, some of the most wonderful personal chip spring forth. While some are cute and sweet (like Hansel and Gretal and your little dog Toto too-ok these types of references are just to easy), the best chips are the ones with a dark side that leave you mesmerized and just a little uncomfortable.

Debby has been married to the same man for 36 years (I suppose it helps having the dungeon) and has retired from a job she held for 37 years. She has two African Gray Parrots. Debby began school as an art major, but it wasn’t until the end of her career that she started creating computer graphics. It was also the computer and her love of all things Halloween that led her to chip collecting (isn’t that always the way).

While researching things with a Halloween theme, she found Halloween chips, a popular area for collectors. She began there but slowly it grew (and it grew) to include mask, joker and many other types of chips. But her favorite part of the hobby is helping others create chip designs. She has helped me twice; when I did my first personal (which I think is a better design than what I envisioned in my head) and the Chicago Cancer Research fundraising chip. But my own favorites, and I suspect hers also, are the ones with a Halloween or a haunted theme. She has also been able to share her designs with the Palms through the generosity of Gene Trimble.

Debby has other interests as well. Before chips, she collected many things, seashells being one of the collections. Part of that collection was donated to the American Museum of Natural History. She also likes to make jewelry and do sodoku puzzles late at night before going to sleep. She confesses to being a late night person; or in her own words, it’s “the vampire in me”.

When I asked her which was her favorite chip or collectible in general, she said the haunted dollhouse she was decorating was her favorite.

Debby’s pet projects for the CC>CC always center around the Building Find. When you go to your next convention, buy one of the grab bags Debby is selling for the building fund. They are fun, contain cool stuff (like eye of newt), and it is for an important cause. Be forewarned, once you buy one, you will be drawn by an irresistible compulsion to return by the siren call again and again.

It is also proof that Debby has a beating heart… hidden beneath her floor. Nevermore.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I am unsure how many folks would immediately know who Brian Cashman is, but I have to believe that not many haven’t at least heard of (or from) Mr. Splashbar. While the Splash Bar is no longer with us, the spirit of Splashbar lives on in the person of Brian Cashman.

To really understand Brian, you need to have had that really cool uncle who knew how to make even the dullest family event something to look forward to, and made the fun stuff the coolest memories of your life. Yet so much of his persona on Greg Susong’s Chip Board (see chipguide.com if you have never been) or at the convention is that of Mr. Splashbar.

He is the advocate of good fun and partying. He is always quick with the special alerts (wabbits and clicks beware), begins a countdown to the beginning of Splashbar months ahead of time, and has single handedly turned many of us into Aruban chip collectors. There is so much to do at the convention already, and he would be the first to tell you to enjoy every bit of it, that it is hard to believe that he, among others, was able to turn the Splashbar into event.

But there is Brian the collector as well. He began collecting in the 70s when he would visit Las Vegas and return with chips. Regrettably, he has cashed out many of these same chips depriving his fellow collectors of so much. Brian considers himself a Vegas (especially downtown-favorite chip is a Four Quees 1st edition $1 chip in an arodie mold) and Aruba collector, Besides the CCGTCC, he also a member of the Florida and Atlantic City Clubs as well.

Brian has been married to Pam for 34 years, has two lovely daughter and a one granddaughter (Bailey Ann). He lives in Walpole which is near Boston. He served in the Army, and attended Northeastern Univ., where he obtained a degree in Civil Engineering. It should also be noted that his proximity to Boston seems to have affected his ability to correctly pronounce the name of the New York Yankees (even though he shares his name with his rivals GM), must be the Red Sox accent.

One of the many great things Mr. Splashbar does, is to work to make each and every new member feel welcome, and strives to get them involved. He has reached out to almost every new member who has appeared on the Chip Board, and encouraged them to attend the convention, and to come to splashbar. Those newbies who follow his advice find they are not alone at their first convention, but have a friend thrilled to see them again for the first time.

This is not by accident. When ‘Brian’ attended his first convention, he hardly spoke to anybody. But Jim Kruse saved the day at the next convention by introducing himself, and then taking Brian to the Splash Bar, where he met many old regulars. This is where Splashbar history was made. Mr. Splashbar works to insure that newbies of the future don’t suffer the same fate. Thank you Jim for stepping up to the plate.

Brian says his favorite memory is standing up with his good friends the Hempels, while Elvis renewed their vows. Personally, I regret having missed that party. But he looks forward to rekindling old friendships and talking about chips. While it is akin to separating a Reese’s, when attempting to separate the two great tastes of Brian and Mr. Splashbar, but why would you want to

Splashbar the event is an opportunity for good friends and new friends to stop and take a breath, and enjoy a beverage between the bourse floor and the myriad other activities that surround the Convention. Over the past couple of years certain traditions have developed at Splashbar. The ‘Splashy’, the kidnapping of the shot girls, and the drink center as a photo destination. But the draw is the plaintive call of the Splashbar regulars.

If you close your eyes, and listen carefully, you will hear in the distance… WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.