James,

Thank you for your recent $50 contribution to the effort to acquire the 2009 SSOTY for the Club's Permanant Collection of All Past OTY Award winners.

James responded to this previously posted announcement, reprinted here:

As noted in the most current issue of the Casino Collectible News (CCN) (formerly the Casino Chip and Token News (CCTN)) we are now looking for donors to acquire the 2009 Silver Strike of the Year for donation to the Club's Permanent Collection of all Past OTY Winners.

This is the prize! (Scan is courtesy of Bill Cohenour)

We have exhausted efforts to acquire an example of the 2009 SSOTY winner (the Palms Resort Casino release of a $200 strike depicting the Statue of Liberty (imaged above)) as a straight out donation to the . However, we have located a source to acquire this very hard to find strike and we are now making an appeal to donors to pledge donation(s), in $10 increments, until we acquire the funding to purchase the strike and then donate it to the in the name of all the donors.

While working this project through the seller, and the Board for their approval, we have already received pledges for a total of $100 (2 $50 pledges) and only need pledges for the outstanding balance of $900. This means that the needed strike is being made available for purchase at $1,000. While costly, it is important to note that this has been the only one offered for this purpose, and in the absence of any previous offers, this is the offer we are going with. It should also be noted that this strike is but 1 of 25 strikes minted and the silver content alone (1 Troy pound) is close to 50% of the value of the strike. And while it does have collector value, that value has no functional meaning to the Club because the purpose of the acquisition is to have the complete set of all past OTY Award winners as part of the Club and to eventually be held at the Museum of Gaming History (MOGH).

As has been done in the past, whenever a "consortium" of donors put up the funds to acquire and donate one of the OTY winners, i.e., the 1993 TOTY, all are listed for donor credit in the records of the . Furthermore, keeping in mind that the Club operates as a Not-For-Profit, there can be favorable tax implication for making a pledge (and subsequent donation), but you will need to consult with your tax preparer for specific details. However, standard Club rules (receipting) will apply for any donation made for this project.

Again, we are asking that pledges be in increments of $10, as it makes our tabulating easier. However, if over $20, then please feel free to specify any amount you wish! After posting this project on the Club's Message Board, it will also be replicated for the TheChipBoard, TheStrikePoint and the SlotCardBBS Message Boards. Pledges may be made publicly on any of these Message Boards, or by private email to: OTY@CCGTCC.com or to any Board member.

Payment of pledges, which should be tendered as soon as possible, may be done via the 's PayPal Account ( sales@ccgtcc.com ) or by snailmail, with a check or Money Order, directly to the Treasurer, Doug Smith (made out to the for: "SSOTY 2009 Donation") at:

P. O. Box 691085
Houston, TX 77269-1085

We intend to use the Message Boards to periodically remind readers of this project and will keep a running tally of pledges and received donations. It is hoped that this project will be fulfilled and completed by the time the Convention comes around, so that the strike can be displayed along with all the other, currently held, Past OTY Award winners as a Non-Competitive Exhibit!

If you prefer to make a donation anonymously, we pledge to honor such a request. Be certain to specify such to the individual you contact.

Following this post is a pictorial run through of the entire Permament Collection of all Past OTY Award winners, one post per year.

We thank you for reading this message and thank everyone, in advance, for their support of this project!

Jim Follis
OTY Awards Chairman

Casey Focazio-Follis
Assistant OTY Awards Chairman