Casino owner sells treasures

[nightspirit]

Dec. 14, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Casino owner sells treasures

Local history among the coins, collectibles

By ALAN CHOATE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

The loot from Jackie Gaughan's vault is valuable in and of itself because it's made from gold and silver.

But the items from the El Cortez owner's collection, which was recently purchased by a California rare coin dealer, will have another element for buyers to assess: A direct connection to Las Vegas history.

"You've got a gaming pioneer that collected this over the years," said Joe Woody, vice president of finance at El Cortez. "Nevada-specific gaming items, some unusual items that most people don't have."

And if they do, chances are they haven't been keeping them in their very own vault inside their very own historic Fremont Street casino.

Spectrum Numismatics International announced Thursday that it had acquired hundreds of silver and gold coins, silver bars and custom-made gaming tokens from Gaughan. The items will be available to collectors starting next year.

The gaming tokens are particularly interesting, said Ronald Gillio, Spectrum's acquisitions coordinator.

They're made of gold and were struck in 1988 for the El Cortez and the Union Plaza Hotel, which Gaughan owned at the time.

Spectrum has all 10 of the $1 Union Plaza tokens made, along with six $1 El Cortez tokens and three $5 El Cortez tokens. Records show only five of the $5 tokens were made.

"I think of all the collectible items that are in this, that's going to be the most exciting, because no one knew they existed," Gillio said.



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