Good Afternoon Everyone,

Some of the people here on the message board are familiar with me, most are not, but I have a little perspective on this topic:

I won my first silver strike out of a machine at Treasure Island. Didn't even know what they were called and did some internet searching. I figured out what they were, because within 8 months, I had about 200 strikes in my collection, a Strikers club membership, had a price guide and was attending my first tournament at LVC. But I felt like I came in at the end of the fun because I think only 12-14 casinos in Vegas still had machines. I collected for a few more years and I think my collection reached almost 900 or so. But soon after my first tournament at 4Q's, many of the casinos started removing the machines and the small number of places that did still have machines, used the strikes to advertise, so I slowly sold off my collection.

About 5 years ago, walking through 4Q's, I was pleasantly surprised to see Strike machines still in use. Sat down a played and it was just like old times, but what came out was not the same. Clad is not silver. Clad is not collectable. Clad is what you turn into the cage for silver. With the help of a number of people who probably are reading this, I have a renewed interest in collecting Strikes and have about 500 again. But unlike my previous collection focus of "I need them all", this time its about the artwork on the strike. I have no strikes with any kind of advertising or strikes of a billionaire wearing a fur coat, riding a horse or holding a poodle. But I also only have a few of the $300's, and I have those mainly because they were attached to tournaments I attended a few years ago.

The point is, if that Siren that came sliding out of the machine years ago at TI were clad, I don't know if I'd have worked so hard to collect more. Possessing is fun, but its the collecting aspect that drives us to want what's here, find out what came before and eagerly look for what's coming next. I think the only way the strike program can expand past where it is now is if it became collectable again, and I don't think that can happen with clad coins.

This is no way a jab at anyone over at 4Q's or the strikes they put out. I love the fact they are single handedly keeping the program going all these years. Yes, silver prices are higher, so of course you can raise the per-play cost of the machine. Why not raise the price of the game if meant silver went back in the machine? Anyone here not willing to play anymore if that was the case? I seem to remember having $7, $10, $20, $28 and $40 strike in my collection, all different weights, but they are all silver. Most of sizes were before my time, but there has the be a happy medium out there somewhere.

These are all just my opinions.

Thanks for reading,
Kevin Davis