I'm somewhat relieved that the frustration silver strike collectors have experienced over the recent years isn't isolated. Below is an excerpt from a recent news article about toy action figures (specifically movie figures) which I came across.

"Why get into the collectible toy business? "We've been talking about it for years," Sam Winston explains. "It started off in sort of a negative way, because for many years we had been creating characters and creatures for movies. Then they would be licensed for the toy world, and the toys and action figures were always so much less artistically than what we had created for the film. It diminished the look of what we had created. So it was like, "We should be doing these ourselves, but we're not toy makers." And the people in the toy world would say, 'The people who buy toys don't really care about the kind of quality that you put into movies.'"

This attitude changed during the last decade, thanks to the popularity of the Todd McFarlane toys lines, such as Movie Maniacs. "Suddenly we were seeing action figures that had great art, that were interesting, that were dramatic," says Winston. "It paved the way, and what it proved to me and to all the guys and artists who work with me is that the toy buyer does see the difference; they do care. I'm a toy freak; all the guys in my studio are action figure lovers, comic book lovers, and movie monster lovers. So we saw that in fact Todd McFarlane was doing it better; he raised the bar on the quality of what an action figure should be, and the buyer wanted his figures."

A comparison that will probably hit closer to home with you are casinos themselves. Back in the 1940's, Bugsy Siegel was considered daft for making huge expenditures in the construction of the Flamingo. In the late 1980's, Steve Wynn was laughed at by several casino owners for the cost of building the Mirage. History proved that both men led the way for greater Las Vegas and forced others to play catch up. Those casinos which refused to change suffered. There were those in the business that felt all people really want is a craps table and a few slot machines in a back alley. The attitude was that tourist just want to gamble. The look and atmosphere of the location didn't matter. Tourist are dumb hicks.

Where am I going with this? While we're talking change on a much smaller scale, the philosophy isn't any different. If slot managers make the effort to order a high quality, attractive product; collectors will notice. Success is relative. Casinos which release boring silver strike styles like restaurant logos or choose a generic pattern from Anchor Gaming's sample book will make a few dollars, but nothing to be proud of. Casinos which go the extra mile to release attractive detail on subjects other than a Royal Flush poker hand or a slot machine will go up a notch with collectors and applauded for their taste.

Styles released by the Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Venetian, Luxor, New York New York, and others are quite artistic and show some imagination. Places with repeated/tired designs like the Flamingo, Barbary Coast, Slots-A-Fun, Boulder Station, Horseshoe, and similar styles lack vision.

Some patterns I'd like to see emerge in the future are:

1. Small sets (ideally 5 styles, but no more than 8) which are minted for a shorter time span versus Luxor's approach of 17 designs at one time which remain in play for a year of longer. Six month releases or a finite amount minted and stated up front is good.

2. The use of crossover non-copyrighted images like Santa Claus, flying saucers/Area 51 (which Reno now has), and historical Nevada anniversaries (like 50th anniversary of Atomic testing and the rapidly approaching 100th anniversary of the city of Las Vegas itself) just to name a few. Scenes which would appeal to collectors of other images and consequently get them interested in silver strikes.

3. Stated to avoid the overused generic Royal Flush, Roulette, Slots and Pony Express themes (Anchor has a book with a handful of stock designs they show casinos). Heck, if you're dying to put gambling themes on strike how about the clichéd "Dogs playing poker"?

4. I dislike the current trend of restaurant logos that have been popping up more and more recently. It's a low-grade equivalent of winning a strike with the word "Coke" or "Nike". Casinos already have a logo side for advertising. Why do they feel the need to beat their establishments into us with dull designs? Do lots of tourist really have fond memories of eating at Careful Kitty's Cafe, Festival All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, or Sport Delux Lounge?!? How many people who stayed at Boulder Station fondly recall the corporate slogan "Stations Casinos - A Winning Combination"?

5. How about highlighting some of the shows? Pay the extra fee to capture images of Mysteré and the Blue Man Group for goodness sake! Something people paided over a $100 to watch and might be compared to the days of the original Rat Pack 40 years from now.

I'm thrilled Rick Ronca from the Plaza is interested in satisfying collectors. He knows that the key to success is giving the people want they want. Even if they don't KNOW what they want until they see it. Hopefully he will become a Bugsy Siegel or Steve Wynn on a much smaller scale. Most people wouldn't notice, but it would be important to us as collectors of silver strikes.

KINGDINOSAUR