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1/30/09 - Collector Trip Report I started collecting silver strikes about 3 years ago when I got my first one from Planet Hollywood. I got the Heart Bar Strike with my first ten bucks. It was the one I hoped to get when I first started playing the machine. The next trip I went back to PH not knowing there were other casinos with the strike machines. I got the Stomp Out Loud strike. This time I went to specifically hunt down all the casinos with Silver strikes in them. The only ones I was able to find were Planet Hollywood, Palms, Sams Town, and Four Queens. I asked at Binions but they had pulled all their machines. I was told by the cashier that it was for some weird reason like some women buying a 200 dollar one for 300 and selling it for 4000. Don't know what that was about or why the casino would care, then I heard from a guy playing at Sam's Town that they had pulled Binions machines for the tournament at Four Queens. A list of my recent winnings. Planet Hollywood on day one. I won a Hans Klok token. It is severely damaged. I don't know how or why. I had played about 10 dollars to get it. Day 2: rented a car and went on the hunt. Went to Fremont and played at Four Queens. 20 bucks in and one the last spin took down one of the 4 Vices (Horses) went to binions. already told that story. Then went to the Palms. 20 bucks in and pulled out 2 rojo lounge and a Drift spa and hammam token. Day 3: Went out to Sam's Town. Put a 20 in the machine I saw there and nothing. put in another 20 and nothing. I was a little disappointed and went and played a penny slot machine. Won 60 bucks on it and told my girlfriend I was going to try again on the silver strike. I saw a man playing the one I was on and I waited a bit but he wasn't done so I walked in a little further. I came back a few minutes later and he was still playing but lo and behold out of the corner of my eye I see a second silver strike machine to my right. I put in 20 bucks. I played 3 spins and hit a Bill and Sam Boyd token, 2 spins later I hit a Sam Boyd token, back to back I hit a second Bill and Sam Boyd. Played the last of the 20 bucks and hit a poker token. I was pretty happy because we had to leave there anyhow so we could return the car. (one day rental) After dropping off the car went back to Planet Hollywood. Put 20 bucks in the machine and first spin hit a PH logo token, second spin hits another one. 3rd spin hits a 3rd one. I played off the last of the 20 bucks but didn't hit again, not like I am complaining though. All in all it was a succesful trip for me. Wish I could have won a few more especially from Four Queens and a lot more from the Palms, since the guy playing at Sam's Town told me that you could trade 20 of them in for a 200 dollar one. I had no idea. I am going back again in April, I will be focused even more on these machines as i learned a little more about them this week.     12/1/08 - Collector Trip Report Hi Jim, Walked up and down the strip this past weekend and only found one group of machines. Put $20 through the machine at Planet Hollywood and didn't win anything. I wasn't too disappointed since I already have the strikes in the displays, but I was disappointed that the machines are so scarce.     6/23/08 - Collector Trip Report Hi Jim, Just got back from Las Vegas this week and investigated Binion's Silver Strike machines. They have (3) machines all side by side. Since they were side by side it was tough to commandeer a machine since 2 people in the same group would take over all three machines until they were completed. Was able to get a few though. Didn't seem to have any variety in the coins yet. Four Queens now has (4) machines and were being played heavily.Was able to get the red cased coin while I was there.     5/1/08 - Collector Trip Report Hi Jim, Just got back from a trip to Las Vegas. I played the Silver Strike machines at Planet Hollywood and did not get any strikes after putting in $60. I also played 2 different Silver Strike machines at the Palms. Played $20 on each machine and got strikes on both of them. Sad to report that the machines at Four Queens and Slots-of-Fun were both off and empty. I asked an employee at Slots-of-Fun if they were removing the machines and she said they were just empty. Did not see any machines at Binon's yet. I found your site very informative and its too bad they are removing these machines.     4/14/08 - Collector Trip Report and Possible Weight Issues Hi Jim, We just got back from our latest Las Vegas trip and something has changed everyone should be aware of... We visited Four Queens, Slots-of-Fun and Planet Hollywood, as these were the only casinos we could readily get to, to collect strikes...came back with 59 Strikes..however...I noticed one core was ajar so I decided to pop it out because I also noticed while we were playing that some surfaces seemed indented more than I recall from the past 10 years...the core weighed only .56 oz vs the expected .66 oz. It turns out that my suspicions were correct and it makes sense ... since silver has been on a stronger rise since 2005. We won Slots-of Fun coins from 2001 through 2006...so it was easy to weigh and compare...(as my collection is in the bank vaults)... 2001-2004 weigh 1.715 oz 2005-2006 weigh 1.615 oz - the core silver only weighs .56 oz based on my test. Now, I was told years ago by Art Becker that the cores weighed .66 oz and assumed such, even though many claim on eBay that they are pure silver coins totalling 1.6 plus ounces. I then weighed the Four Queens coins and they all came in at 1.66 oz as well as did a Sams Town coin we traded with a couple while in the Slots-of-Fun...since we did not have time to shuttle out to Sams Town..So without popping the cores, I suspect they only weigh .61 oz. I also checked the Planet Hollywood coins and they came in at 1.66 oz with the exception of the PH double sided PH coin which only weighed 1.61 oz...this makes sense since Planet Hollywood has only been around a few years..but even they have succumbed to lighter coins in the PH double sided series. Thus I have concluded that not all silver strikes have the same silver content anymore...pre-2006 issues probably are in fact .66 oz cores...but since then it looks like the strike mints have been shaving the silver cores down first to .61 oz and now down to .56 oz. It looks like pre-2005s are 1.71oz with .66 cores, but since then there are new species weighing in at either 1.66 oz or 1.61 oz with cores that are .61 and .56 oz silver respectively....correct me if I am wrong on this...did this make the news anywhere upon activation of each series? It just confirms to me how the price of silver has impacted the whole silver strike collectors realm...I suspect now that as silver rises these may cease to be available at all as this is what happened to pre-1965 US coinage. I should just mention that I was weighing the coins in their plastic containers except for the one I broke open...but the math is the same - 2005 Slots-of-Fun Famous Landmarks Hoover Dam Core= .56 brass ring= .665 plastic = .39 coin alone 1.225 cased coin 1.615     4/12/08 - Collector News Hi Jim, I'm happy to report that silver strikes will be coming to Binion's. It's exciting to see a new location appear for strikes considering how many have vanished. I'll contact you when the machines appear on the floor.     3/13/08 - Collector Trip Report My husband and I returned from our Vegas trip last weekend and can report the two strike machines at the Four Queens off. The strikes were in both machines on Sunday, March 2 but when we returned on March 4, the strikes had been removed and the machines had out of order tape on both bill collectors. (Note: Since this time, the machines have been reloaded) Sams Town however, did have 2 machines close to the casino entrance including one newly minted Sams Town 300 in honor of the Busch race. We received a strike on our second spin and was able to trade it at the cage for the Sams Town 300 strike. Planet Hollywood also had a strike machine while we were there on March 6 and we were able to get one within 6-7 spins. Hope this helps but our beloved strikes are disappearing quickly.     3/9/08 - Collector Trip Report Hi Jim, Sad news to report - the $40 machine is gone from the Fremont. It always paid off wonderfully for me in the past and I was looking forward to once again winning a $40 for less than $5...but no such luck. Now that success is just a memory.     1/2/08 - Collector Trip Report Hi Jim, Just got back from Las Vegas (saw Celine's last show) and my girl and I were disappointed to find that most casino's have (or are) pulling their Silver Strike machines out... There WERE still Silver Strikes in Planet Hollywood and Four Queens (machines were pulled already from Wynn, California and the Mirage). By the way, we pulled 20 Silver strikes out of those casinos.     1/1/08 - Catalog Update The 2008 edition of the Silver Strike Guide is now available in both print and CD versions. Buyers of early editions of the printed version of the guide will be pleased to know that the checkboxes next to each strike have returned. The "In Play" column has been removed from both editions of the guide due to the reduced number of strikes in play at the current time.     12/30/07 - Collector Trip Report Hi Jim, Went to Las Vegas recently with the following results: Fremont - Couldn't find the $10 machine - it may be gone. The $40 machine is still there. Put in $20 and didn't win anything. The machine has always paid off well for me in the past (usually hitting a $40 within the first $5) but I didn't want to put in any more cash. Palms - Won six of the new Playmate of the Year strikes for $100. Planet Hollywood - Won four strikes for $40. That's pretty fair. Slots-A-Fun - Pretty much was playing for the red caps. They were randomly spaced in the tubes. The ones I won cost about $25-$30 each. Four Queens - Again I was pretty much playing for red caps since I have the other designs. The red caps were evenly spaced in the tubes. The cost for each red cap was around $20-$25. Sam's Town - I never do well at Sam's Town. At least this time I won something rather than past attempts where I've easily turned $50 into air. Won two strikes at a cost of $20 each.     9/16/07 - Collector Trip Report Hi Jim, Just got back from Las Vegas with 102 Silver Strikes.... The following casinos pulled their machines...what a shame... New York New York MGM Bellagio Monte Carlo Hard Rock (this one hurts..just missed it by a week...but beat them up at the craps table thanks to their new card promo $40/30...) Plaza TI - Treasure Island Bill's (formerly Barbary Coast) It's almost easier to list the ones that still have them: Planet Hollywood - 35 coins - (3 machines)... one machine liked me...the one at 3 o'clock when facing the cashier for anyone in Vegas...hit double diamond bars a lot... Mirage - 46 coins (4 machines)... what can I say? California (downtown) -13 coins (has 2 machines but couldn't get on 2nd machine)...good streak on the one we played... Wynn (one machine that plays for a quarter - gives $10 and $40 - tough machine) (1/$10 and 1/$40 on 1st try and 1/$10 on 2nd try) - tight machine in my opinion...(Editors Note: The machine at Wynn has contributed greatly to much of the hair missing from my head) Mandalay Bay ($1 machine - $40 works (0 wins)...but the $0.25 machine was turned off)..I accidentally played the $1 machine as I was excited to find one and didn't realize it was $1... Palms (has a 3 liner and a single liner $0.25)...won a double coin payout (double bars-silver strike) thanks to Peter DICEnzo who intervened in our play with his lucky touch and traded us some of his dupes...and 2 coins on the single line machine... Four Queens...1 coin (unusually bad for us)..2 machines there...no luck...(they took out the Elizabeth Taylor Jewels....wife was dissapointed as she has won 3 times before) Here's our strategy and it still works...(given silver prices, it's a lock) We target $20 to play using $10 at a time...if we get a strike we invest another $10 and keep playing until we go through a $10 bill without hitting...this keeps the streaks going...for EXAMPLE California we visited only once...we kept hitting so we kept playing until we failed to win one on a $10 bill...sometimes we win 2 or 3 coins per cycled $10 but stick to the $10 loss rule... In 2 cases...we got back to back wins followed by a missed pull and a win for 3 wins in 4 pulls...(what was ironic was my wife was just doing it and crowing when I immediately matched her 3 wins on the machine I was playing exactly the same way at Planet Hollywood) we don't believe in giving up just because we won one...in fact we laugh about the times we often see a WIN on a machine we walk up to, and immediately yell "back to back" and sure enough we win on the first pull...so this encourages us to stick to our strategy...I realize it's a RNG...but there you have it..random walks... Too bad these are dissappearing...they make our trips fun...with silver prices on the rise...(the .6 oz silver content alone is making these a hold at $15 silver= $10).     9/2/07 - New Option for the Silver Strike Catalog A new option is available for buyers of the Silver Strike Catalog. The catalog is now available in loose-leaf (three-hole punched) format. If you wish to purchase the catalog in this format, be sure to click the button (or check the box if mailing your order) to add this option to your order.     8/31/07 - Machines removed I have now received multiple reports of machines being removed from the following casinos: Bellagio, Hard Rock, MGM Grand, and TI (Treasure Island). While this information is not surprising in light of the IGT announcement in June (see 6/16/07 below), we can only hope that all of the casinos that remain are ones that take their silver strike programs seriously. I look forward to fantastic strikes from these casinos in the future and plan to spend my gambling dollars in these fine establishments.     7/23/07 - Collector Trip Report Hi Jim, I was in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago and had the following results. At Planet Hollywood, there were three machines in a group by the escalators, two with ph strikes and one with Stomp Out Loud. Put in a $20 - cashed out with one Stomp strike and $32.75 cash. Went to the Palms, got 6 strikes (Playboy & horses) for $60. Went to Wynn on day one and the machine was cold, only paying out two $10 strikes for $85. Day two started worse - at Sam's Town I only got three $10 strikes for $80. Things were due to turn around so I went back to Wynn and put $100 into the machine. Bingo! This time I won a $40 strike, three $10 strikes, and cashed out for $120. I guess the Wynn machine really runs hot and cold.     7/7/07 - Art on changes at the Silver Strike Guide Dear Friends, You've probably noticed that Jim Silva has taken over the Silver Strike Guide, since I am moving on to a new venture. If you've read the title page of the Guide, starting with the very first issue, you'll see that Jim has been working with me on it, right from the start. In fact, I couldn't have done it without him. Jim has helped me tremendously in the past, and will do an excellent job of continuing the Guide, in the future. Jim and I have worked together in several collectible areas, over the past decade, and he has quite a background, in a number of fields. We've been discussing his taking over the Guide for quite some time now, and I continue to be impressed with his ideas for improvement. I most certainly would not entrust the longest-running Silver Strike Guide to anyone but Jim. Jim's computer expertise will allow him to continue providing the only Silver Strike Guide on CD, too. I want to thank everyone who has given me their support with the Silver Strike Guide. I couldn't have done it without you, too. I especially appreciate the collector trip reports that you so graciously share with the rest of us. They helped me to achieve my most important goal: To help people have FUN collecting Silver Strikes. Sincerely, Art Becker Las Vegas NV     6/16/07 - Art's Editorial on the IGT Announcement IGT shocked the collector community yesterday when they announced the end of their main support of the silver strike program. Don't panic yet, as the door hasn't been totally slammed in our faces. IGT will no longer begin new leases of silver strike slot machines. However, any casino that wants them, can buy them outright. The company says they will provide support for up to five years, or until parts run out. I suspect there will be a lot of the machines returned in excellent condition, since they are still fairly new, and better designed than the previous machines. IGT will no longer provide support with artwork and actual strike production. This might mean the casinos are free to get their strikes produced by any company they want. While the Sunshine Mint has always produced a quality product, Global Minting has frequently produced an inferior silver strike. Which casinos might buy the machines? While you never know for sure, my guess would be Four Queens, Palms, and Sierra Sid's, since they have been some of the most enthusiastic issuers of new designs. Remember when I said not to panic? Here's why. For one thing, if everyone dumps their strikes on eBay at the same time, prices realized will fall through the floor. On the other hand, if you wait too long, you might not get a good price. Thus, I have two recommendations. The first recommendation is if you are able to redeem your common strikes at the cage, especially any duplicates that you have been hoarding, then do so. Be happy to get face value for common strikes. If you know someone going to Las Vegas soon, give them your strikes to cash in. The second recommendation is that now is probably the best time ever to fill the holes in your collection. Go back and get the strikes you are missing. This has always been my advice, rather than to chase new issues. However, chasing new issues is a lot easier, so that's why most people do it. There is no reason to dispose of your collection, based on what someone else says or does. It's yours to enjoy for as long as you want. Now is a great time to get those frames, display cases, and airtight holders you have always been wanting. Who knows how long they will be available? If you decide to sell your collection, you have to determine whether to sell it as a whole, or individually. I think at this point there aren't going to be too many takers for collections, so get what you can on eBay for your better items, and cash in the rest at the cage. I have two helpful hints, and a cliche. Here's the cliche, "Sell in haste, repent in leisure." Please, don't sell off your collection without thinking it through. The first helpful hint is that eBay auctions are limited to 7 or 10 days. You absolutely should consider opening an eBay Store. Every one I know who has an eBay store wishes they had opened theirs years ago. Store listings run for a full 30 days, and it costs very little to put items into store inventory. True, you have a modest monthly expense, but that quickly pays for itself. I'm not going into all the details of eBay stores, other than to say they are an excellent way to sell collectibles. Do yourself a favor and look into it. Check out the eBay Stores forum. Sadly, the summer months are traditionally the slowest of the year for collectibles, so don't expect to see much buying activity until fall. The next helpful hint is for you to buy a current price guide. Yes, this benefits me, but it benefits you, too. For one thing, you want to know what your strikes are worth, and what to pay for strikes you need. Sadly, with apparently fewer new issues on the horizon, it could mean that silver strike catalogs will go out of business, too. You really should get one while you can. For now, use the guides as the upper limit, as prices will probably start to drop. My final thought is anyone who has purchased my silver strike guide on CD already has the excellent article on buying and selling strikes on eBay. Now is the time to go back and read it again. There has already been some panic, name calling, wailing, gnashing of teeth, and renting of garments, about the IGT decision. What I say is, "Get over it." We all knew that any hobby that depends on a single producer is always subject to the whims of that company. Any time that IGT decided to pull the plug, it would be over. It would probably be best not to get too involved in schemes to "save" the hobby, or bother with waste of time "petitions." If you want to do something, write directly to IGT, as well as your favorite casinos. Absolutely do not use a form letter, as those are always ignored. Write a brief letter, from your heart. IGT CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS Attn: Ron Rivera, Senior VP of Domestic Sales 9295 Prototype Drive Reno, NV 89521-8986 PO Box 10580 Reno, NV 89510-0580 Tel: 775-448-7777 Fax: 775-448-0719.     6/14/07 - Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I just got back from Las Vegas and did a little striking while I was out there. Here is what I found. Mandalay Bay had two machines. A 25 cent single line machine for $10 strikes. And a $1 multi-line machine for $40 strikes. I hit the 25 cent machine for 4 strikes this trip. I got the Forty Duce Design as well as the building design and two of the Concerts at the Beach design. I hit the first three fairly easily but the last one took several visits to the casino at about 5 to 10 bucks a try. I probably ended up averaging about 15 bucks a strike. This machine is located to your right, as you come into the casino from the tram. Something happened to it for a while when I was out there because it did not have power for about half of a day. (I think another collector mentioned a circuit breaker problem with it) The $1 machine was kind of a scare to me. I love strikes and I take a decent bankroll when playing, but if you get hooked chasing after these strikes it can eat your money fast at 3 bucks a pull. At first It was looking a bit grim as I went through $40 and hit nothing. But I put in another $20 and hit Double bar, Double Bar, Silver Strike. This paid me 2 of the $40 strikes. They were both the Concerts at the Beach design but I was just happy to have hit for them. I then cashed out for my remaining 19 bucks and got out of there. So I hit for 2 $40 dollar strikes for $41. (however I returned later to toss another $20 after these beautiful strikes, with no luck) This machine is located if you come down the tram escalator, pass right in front of the $10 strike machine. It is about 80 feet past the $10 strike machine on the right. Luxor, Tropicana, and Excalibur had no strikes. MGM has the same machines in the same places they have been for the past year and a half. I spent about 20 bucks trying but hit nothing. Monte Carlo does not have machines anymore. But I did walk up and cash in two Andre strikes I had won on a previous trip with no hassle what so ever. (So I think your complaints to the Gaming control board must have done some good) Planet Hollywood had three strike machines against the escalator wall. They seemed to have two designs. They had the PH logo and then a "Stomp Out Loud" logo. I won the PH but threw another 20 after the Stomp Out Loud and never got it. (the Stomp out loud is in a separate machine). The Stomp machine was tip top full of strikes for the 3 days I was there. So either no one was playing or it was a very tight machine. NYNY had strikes (3 machines) but I did not play as I have them all. Machines were still in these locations: By the Sports book womens restroom, Out side the Cabaret Theater, and on the main isle when walking from the main escalator towards the sports book. Bellagio had strikes but they were short a machine from my last trip. The machine by the large emergency exit on the east side of the casino is gone. There is still a machine outside of the O theater, and two as you come from the hotel elevators. (If you are coming from the Hotel Elevators as soon as you enter the casino floor, one is right on the main isle to the Right hand side) Another is located if you come from the hotel once again, but this time take an immediate left when you hit the casino floor. After taking that left look to the right and you cant miss it. Designs included Shadow Creek, Paddle wheel, 5 diamond, and S Creek Holes 1 2 and 3. I read that Holes 4 5 and 6 were approved but they did not seem to be in the machines yet. I was not going to play here because I have most of the designs, but I did insert 1 dollar into a machine and believe it or not I actually hit for a Shadow creek strike in one buck. I sold it back as I already have the design. Caesars had no strikes, Mirage had 3 new restaurant designs and some new danny Gans designs. There were about 5 SS machines in the casino, the only two that had non danny gans designs were side by side back by the left wall of the buffet entrance. I hit for a FIN and a Kokomos design. Treasure Island had the same two machines with only Tangerine designs. However both of these were mysteriously out of order, they had red "out of order" tape across the money slots. (could they be removing them?) Wynn had One machine with a combo of $10 and $40 strikes in it. (first time I had seen anything like this) The third reel had a symbol on it for the $10 strike and it also had a Symbol for the $40 strike. The people before me put 100 bucks through the machine. They had hit for a $40 and several $10 strikes. So I went ahead and played anyway. I hit two $10 strikes in 40 bucks of play, I walked around for a short bit and returned to play another $20 through the machine, this time Hitting for the $40 strike. The machine is located right across from their sports book. The new $40 strikes are beautiful. They have color pictures on them and are truly a real prize to my collection, but man they don't come easy or cheap. I also stopped by the Hard Rock, They have one machine left, it's on the upper ring of the casino. I won a Pink Taco Strike in $5 of play. Other strikes in play were Rehab, Love Jones, and the Joint.     6/5/07 I received a report that the Western Hotel and Casino has been approved for silver strikes. It is at 899 Fremont Street (the El Cortez is at 600 Fremont Street). I don't think I've ever been inside, but it is a fairly large locals casino. However, I suggest that you don't walk to it at night, as the neighborhood can be kind of rough. Take a taxi or drive.     5/18/07 I received a report that El Cortez no longer has silver strikes. This might just be temporary. Aladdin is now Planet Hollywood. Mirage has three new restaurant designs in play, as well as the three newly approved Danny Gans designs.     4/9/07 The Gaming Control Board (not the Gaming Commission) Approval List for March 2007 didn't have any new strike designs on it. It did mention that the Golden Nugget was re-ordering its "Since 1946" design. Sadly, the Orleans has pulled its two machines, so the 10th Anniversary designs were only in play for just a few weeks.     4/5/07 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, The Gold Spike downtown has its machine up and running, with a very nice railroad design silver strike. Sam's Town now has three of the Mystic Falls Park designs in play, and Orleans has their 10th Anniversary set in play. As usual, I had a great time in Las Vegas.     2/6/07 While the January 2007 Silver Strike Approval List was blank, the December list had one nice surprise: the old Gold Spike casino, downtown, had a silver strike approved. The Mystic Falls Park series is now in play at Sam's Town. Since this casino uses the Sunshine mint to produce their strikes, you know you will be getting a quality design.     2/1/07 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I just thought I would like to let you know what a great site you have on the Silver Strikes. I wasn't really into them until I found your site, and have recently become a collector. I actually printed out and used your site to locate casinos with the Silver Strike machines. It was a great tool, and I appreciate you having it. Thanks! Just thought I would give you an update on a couple of the Strike machines. I just returned home yesterday from my trip there (long trip from New Jersey and spent much of the time Silver Striking!) They have been officially removed from the Las Vegas Club and The Plaza in downtown Las Vegas, and there is indeed still a $40 token machine in the Fremont. The woman at the Wynn also confirmed that the Silver Strike machine will be installed there very soon. Thanks again for your site, it was very useful!     12/29/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I went to Las Vegas over the Christmas holiday and have some news to report concerning silver strikes. I went to the Monte Carlo and won several strikes of which some were duplicates. I'm happy to report that you must have hit a note with them because there was absolutely no problems at the cashier exchanging the strikes for money. Good job! I then went downtown to the Freemont. There is a dollar machine that awards $40 limited edition 50th anniversary strikes in a blue tinted case. They look great. Now for the big news. The 4 Queens casino is hosting a silver strike slot tournament. It will be held January 5th, 6th and 7th. For more information phone 1-800-634-6045. I won't be able to make it but hope some of the collectors on short notice can get away and check it out. [Note: There will be a new $200 strike then, at the Four Queens, for Hugo's Cellar, and the $10 set of four aces designs.]     12/19/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, Been a while since I've contacted you. Just wanted to let you know Mandalay Bay just put out, on Dec 11th, 2 new strike machines. A $0.25/$10 token single-line machine is located over by the tram to Luxor/Excalibur. A $1.00/$40 token three-line machine is located where the old (2002) strike machine was, which is between the high limits and lobby area. If you are entering from the lobby, turn right as soon as you hit the casino floor, and you can't miss it. It is all by itself. The staff seemed very excited about it. Each slot attendant that walked by would strike up a conversation with me and tell me how it had just arrived that day. I already "broke-in" the $40 by having a hopper jam and hitting the $500 triple sevens on the 3rd payline. I only had to wait about 5 minutes for the hopper jam to be resolved. I turned in 11 $40 strikes and kept 4. On the $10 machine, a maintenance worker nearby plugged in his vaccuum cleaner and tripped a breaker, causing the machine to lose power mid-spin. Thankfully, I was having a chat with a slot tech at the time, so they had the issue resolved within minutes. There are 4 designs in each. The "Moorea" and "Forty-Duece" designs seem to be the most difficult to get now, because each column in the hopper has its own design. 4 designs means 2 of them ("hotel" and "Concerts on the beach") are in 2 columns each, while "Moorea" and "Forty-Duece" only get one. On the plus side, the token at the header of each column is the actual design in that column. The cage didn't know what to do with the $40 strikes. She had only seen the $10, but there were no problems redeeming the tokens. The staff was VERY helpful. Thanks for keeping up the great site!     12/1/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I just got back. I stayed at the Southpoint. I tried, thru my connections there, to buy discontinued ss and the $200 Southcoast. After a small runaround (typical), I found out that all ss were returned to Boyd Gaming as part of the split up. I was told to contact Boyd Casinos, Inc. (no thanx, too much work). I also toured downtown. At the Plaza I was told that all ss machines were removed Wednesday morning. The 4 Queens still has two machines and a new Fremont Experience $200 coin is coming this month. At the California I found the same machines as a year ago, and the staff are still uncooperative. I went to the Palms, where they have Playboy ss machines and a few remaining $200 coins. I won 20 $10 ss and I traded them for a $200 coin, but YOU HAVE TO ASK, at the cage. There is no publicity anywhere. More info later, love your site.     11/20/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I heard that the Golden Nugget removed their machines, but they were just moved. But, they only have older designs in them. The South Coast was sold, and is now the South Point. I don't know if they still have strikes.     10/5/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, In August of this year I discovered the Silver Strike machines in Las Vegas. I had pretty good luck actually, I have in my possession at this time 12 $10 Silver Strike coins from various locations, but I won a lot more, and gave several out as souvenier gifts to family and friends. Of particular interest to me were the few I won from the Aladdin Hotel (which is currently in the process of becoming Planet Hollywood - which I also have coins for). The Aladdin series feature the hotel logo on the back, with various designs on the front. I managed to retain a "Scheherazade," a "The London Club," and one with a rendering of the hotel on the front. I had some of my best luck at the Hard Rock Casino where I happened to snag two of "The Joint," two with the drum/guitar logo, one with the exterior building rendering and one with "Love Jones." My final coin that I have is a "Tangerine Lounge and Nightclub" ten dollar coin from Treasure Island. I have a trip planned for this November (during Comedy Festival Week) and will use your listing to seek out more of these treasured coins. I am a collector for fun since I don't have any plans to resell the coins for profit. Thank you for your site and listing.     9/24/06 Error Strike Reported A collector has reported to me that a strike with the Fremont Casino logo side, and the California Casino Hawaii design, has been discovered. The collector originally thought that a California strike, with a CT mint mark, had been found. As we all know, the Hawaii design series only had GDC, and, later, S, mint marks. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the logo side actually had Sam Boyd and the Fremont, rather than Sam Boyd and the California. Other famous errors of this type, with mismatched dies, include the McCarran Airport Blackjack Spades, the Sam's Town strikes with the Fremont logo side, the Gold River/Capri, Pioneer Millennium, and others. These errors are easy enough for careless mint workers to make. The wrong die is used, either because the worker grabbed the wrong one, or a die was not correctly identified, perhaps being put back into the wrong place after use. With the Fremont and California logo sides so similar, it would be an easy mistake to make, and any casual quality control inspection could miss it, too. So, you might want to check all your old common California silver strikes, and see if any of them have the Fremont logo side.     9/15/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I found your site the other night, and have enjoyed reading about the strikes. My wife and I have lived in Las Vegas for a couple years, but never played the strike machines till a couple months ago. Couldn't stay away I guess. She has done very well at Ellis, Southcoast, Orleans and one or two more. Her first win was on her first 75 cents at Ellis. 3 bars and a ss. She was hooked! That leads me to my point. I figure you already know, but the SS machine at Ellis is gone. I talked to a girl on the floor this morning and she said they took it out, she thought the 6th or 9th of Sept. She said they were losing money because silver had gotten so high. She said they could be bought, she thought, at the cage, but no more game. I thought I would LYK in case you haven't heard.     9/14/06 Mandalay Bay has new designs approved on the latest Gaming Control Board list.     8/3/06 Monte Carlo Update: Sadly, there is nothing positive to report. The Monte Carlo doesn't see anything wrong with refusing to redeem just-won silver strikes, nor with calling its customers thieves, IGT says they have been in touch with the MC, and the Gaming Control Board refuses to acknowledge any of my communications. So much for government protection from casino abuse in Nevada. The latest approval list contains a new "Rehab" design from Hard Rock. Hooters has several $10 chips listed. $10 chips are uncommon in casinos, and in the past some $10 chips have turned out to be silver strikes. Once again, who knows?     7/11/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I was in Las Vegas the week of July 3-7 and although I didn't actively search out Silver Strikes I did get some strikes. I Stayed at NY-NY and although they have about 4 machines I stayed away as I already had most of those designs. I pulled a strike from the Golden Nugget for just under Ten Dollars and already had a strike from GN so I cashed out. I continued my Downtown Silver Strike search and Got 1(one) from the LV Club for just a couple of dollars thanks to the bars which hit a couple of times before the strike. I also got one from the Plaza but it came at a high price almost $20 by far my expensive strike. I went to Ellis Island to eat a $4.95 steak dinner and while waiting for a table I got a strike and triple bars on the same spin netting a gain of about $15.00 and a strike I only saw one design but that's OK. I collected several strikes from the Barbary Coast but turned them in as I was looking for Mount Charleston and kept getting the Valley of Fire design, I asked the Cage to trade right after someone in front of me cashed in some strikes and they were not willing to trade, I got a strike of Hoover Dam as well and kept that one after all was said and done I put forty into the machine, I cashed in 4 strikes so it was a wash + 1 strike to me. My last strike on This trip came from the MGM Grand!!!!! I didn't even know they had a machine but it was great to see, I played $14.00 to get a strike, and played $6.00 more to no avail, but was excited about the MGM having strikes again. Most of the Silver Strikes machines are easy to find as they are right by an entrance or along a major aisle. The Barbary Coast is right inside the door from Las Vegas Blvd. The Golden Nuggets are right by their restaurant in the same spot as last year. The Las Vegas Club's Strike was all the way in the back from Fremont Street but was all by itself and easy enough to find. Ellis Island was right inside the door from their self park area. I can not even start to tell where the one in the MGM Grand was I just kinda stumbled on it while trying to win a car. I only got Six Strikes this year but as I said I wasn't after strikes this trip as I had gotten about 20 in my last couple of trips, as I seem to be going to Las Vegas at least once a year.     6/16/06 As you know, I rarely make any recommendations. Most companies, organizations, and products, simply don't meet my exacting standards. One product I can highly recommend is Casino News Magazine. This bi-monthly publication has more casino news than I even get from the media here in Las Vegas. While I only collect silver strikes, there is plenty of news about chips and tokens in the magazine. My guess is that it would be easy for you to get a sample issue sent to you. Of course, it would show some class to offer to send a couple dollars to cover costs. Casino News Magazine PO Box 1111 Twinsburg OH 44087 (800) 892-2629 Thank you for helping keep this the best silver strike news and information site ever.     6/10/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I was out May 17th to 23rd. I won a total of 42 Strikes -- not too bad. I always seem to get between 30-40 strikes in a 6 day period. I stayed at the Barbary Coast, where the machine was very loose. I would hit, walk away, come back in 30 min or so, and hit again. I ended up with at least 10 strikes from Barbary Coast. The Palms machines were fine, and I always got a strike for less than $10. I went to MGM and got a few strikes there. I went to Hooters, where I was hoping to find Strike Machines, but there were none to be found. Mirage has moved all strike machines back by the Buffet wall. I was lucky there and was able to get about 6 strikes on $20. Downtown I went to Las Vegas Club, which was very loose, and I was able to walk out with about 8 strikes for $30. Plaza was also nice, where I won about 6 strikes. At the Golden Nugget I could not hit a strike. I played 20-30 min on same $20 in, with no luck, but I hit triple bar with 2 double diamound ... thank you! I had a few more hits at TI and Aladdin. I'm looking forward to more updates on new machines and strikes. I will be back out in October. Thanks Art, I like your site.     6/6/06 Sadly, it's been an awful long time since I've received a Collector Trip Report. People have even contacted me to find out if I've stopped updating the site. The good news is that there are plenty of new strike designs that have been approved. It looks like a Planet Hollywood design for Aladdin. In fact, this might be the final Aladdin design, before the casino changes it's name to Planet Hollywood. There's a new Hawaiian series approved for the California. The previous set was in the machines like forever. El Cortez has an African Safari series approved, and the Fremont also has new designs on the approval list. The Hard Rock has a newly approved design, while the Monte Carlo has a couple on the list.     4/22/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I went to Ellis Island and won a triple, plus got back $2.50 cash profit. At South Coast I won my first strike for 75 cents. The old Bourbon Street has been demolished, and Boardwalk is already partially demolished.     4/6/06 The latest Gaming Control Board approval list has both $40 and $200 strikes approved for the Fremont. In all the years I played the old $10 machines there, I never won a single strike. On the other hand, for many years after the machines were gone, you could buy strikes for face at the cage. I tried cashing in some strikes at McCarran airport, and they wouldn't take them.     3/9/06 Collector Trip Report Hi Art, I am not a giant collecter of Silver Strikes, but back in 1994 when I witnessed my first one from Wendover, Nevada, I had the desire to try and collect at least one strike from every casino in Nevada, either opened or closed. After collecting for a few years I purchased your 5th edition 2001 Silver Strike Catalog. I have tried to keep it up to date by adding casinos, and strikes that I have seen mostly on E-bay. Today, my collection is complete. I have at least one strike from every casino, starting with King 8 and ending with South Coast. Last weekend I was in Ely, Nevada, and stayed at the Hotel Nevada (built in 1929). Right next to the registration desk there was a new multi Silver Strike machine. After checking in I donated $40.00 to this machine with no strikes. A little disturbed I stood to the side, and watched other people put anywhere from 75 cents to 5.00 dollars in with no strikes either. After a few minutes a girl came up and put in 1 dollar bills, and on the 3rd pull she won 1 strike. I asked her if I could buy the strike, and she sold it to me for ten bucks. I look forward to visiting your site often, and keeping up with the Silver Strike News.     2/22/06 Rita Rudner's 5 year contract at New York New York expires in June, and won't be renewed, by mutual agreement. There were four silver strikes featuring Rita, and one unissued design.     2/20/06 Do you have a silver strike from each Las Vegas area casino that no longer exists? It's always fun to have some Las Vegas historical items in your collection. Gold Strike Inn (burned down), Aladdin (the original was demolished), Boardwalk (original was a Holiday Inn, demolished), Boomtown (now Silverton), Bourbon Street (demolished), Desert Inn (demolished), Debbie's Casino ($7 only, Debbie Reynold's casino has changed names several times since), Flamingo Hilton (no longer a Hilton since 2001), Hacienda (demolished), King 8 ($7 only, now Wild Wild West), Maxim (rebuilt as a Westin), San Remo (now Hooters), Silver City (demolished), Westward Ho (demolished), Mesquite Star (closed), and Rancho Mesquite (now Eureka). It seems likely that some, if not all, of the Tropicana will be torn down soon, too. Many of the strikes from these casinos can still be had for a nominal price, on eBay and from dealers.