I think Dennis is right...few people would play the $5 maachines, which is why they were taken out, among other reasons and then the $200s were put into the $10 machines with the exchange program, however, it was strictly a gimmicky thing. Collectors really did not collect them so much as get one or two of them from time to time.

In the earlier days of Silver Striking you never saw one for sale on a table at the Convention or anyplace else. The first one I ever bought was from Scott Hartman, who is a chipper and just happened to get one in a chip trade and was happy to get rid of the thing at face value.

Now the $200s are second only to the $10s and we, the collectors, have created the market. Archie's assessment may be gloomy, but it is accurate. When we line up to get a $200 Strike that is simply a reverse plating of one we already have, then we need to examine our own motivations. Whatever they are, we keep them coming, by buying them, perhaps frightened into it by missing out on something, but return the $5 machines and you can bet the casinos would only produce a limited number until they needed more.

Additionally, the machines are really no different, except when you win the $200 the bells go off and the Strike is presented to you at the machine, it does not drop from the hopper. Lastly I would add, if 100 strikes issued by the 4 Queens is gone in a few hours you can bet they will make more...they are not losing money regardless of what we may think. Just look at the Tournament and all the play the machines around the Silver Strike machines were getting. It gets us into the casino, and that is the goal.