In 2015, a thread concerning the 1,000 white Key West $1 chips came up. Here's a link to it:
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...s-1000-new-key-west-1-white-chips.8681/page-3
Before anyone considers buying those chips, here are some things you should know.
On May 28, 2013, I negotiated an order for 10,000 Key West chips with Mike Daumbach, who bought ASM from Jim Blanchard. At the time of this deal, Mike was producing nice chips which were indistinguishable from those produced by Jim and the team at old ASM, Portland. As usual, I spoke with Sally and Mike by phone and via email, and paid the full amount due in advance. (That was always the policy.) I have the invoice and a record of the wire transfer from that day.
Several weeks later, I spoke by phone with Sally and she mentioned that there was "a partner" involved in the business, and mentioned the name "Red." This was the first time I heard it.
Weeks later, Mike called me to express his frustration with his partner for several reasons. One area where they clashed was on the quality of the chips, and whether they were rejects or could go out the door to customers. There were other, more personal issues. Mike told me he was quitting the business. Red was in sole control -- frankly something he thought he had from the start, which helped to drive Mike out.
The chips arrived over many shipments and several months. Some were good, like the Suicide Queen chips, and I could tell Mike was involved in making them. Some were not as good, and were sent back. I sent back about 140 white chips along with boxes of other denominations of flawed chips. Red repeatedly said the rejected chips would be replaced with new, flawless chips, and that he did have some white $1 chips "here at the factory" that were "leftovers." He never replaced any chips. I emailed him repeatedly to ask where we stood on replacements.
On Dec. 4, 2013, Red answered one of those emails by telling me ASM Las Vegas was closed. He assured me that the company's new owners would pick up where he left off and replace the chips I returned. Classic Poker Chips bought the assets -- the molds, machines, etc. -- and reopened back in Portland on March 15, 2014. As new owner, David Spraag assured me fixing Red's mistakes was never part of their negotiations. I know David is telling the truth, and Red simply lied -- again. The new owners gave Red four months to make replacement chips for all the customers who sent flawed chips back. Instead, he spent his time destroying the records and artwork, and doing other things to sabotage David, Jim and Classic.
In the meantime, it appeared that Red had access to Sally's ASM email account, and was likely communicating with customers while pretending to be Sally. I can't say, but others note a drastic change in the tone of emails from Sally.
In September, 2015, someone around Las Vegas offered 1,000 Key West chips on Craigslist, claiming they were leftovers from a customer who did not pay for them. Abby99 and others traced the phone number in the ad back to Red. All I know is I paid for all my chips up front. If he made them for himself or someone else, he did so without asking me or telling me about them.
That's also why you can't buy a white Key West $1 chip for $1. There was a plan in the works to offer both $1s (blue and white) for $1 each, but I decided against it when I realized Red had a trove of these chips in Las Vegas. I was not about to give one more dollar to Red or anyone who got chips from him. And no one knew how many he had.
All the blue $1 chips ever produced were made by Classic Poker Chips. The first issue of blue $1s was ordered on Classic's opening day, and arrived on May 19, 2014, long after Red had left the casino chip business.
All I can say is, if you chose to buy anything from Red, you do so at your own peril. I would strongly advise against it.
In the end, he destroyed his own business and ruined the reputation of a company that made fine casino chips for over 30 years -- so badly that the new owners had to change their company's name to distance themselves from the mess he made. He nearly destroyed my business, and certainly set me back three or four years in developing it. He also pushed out Mike Dambauch, a good man who loved the casino chip business and knew how to make great chips, but wanted no parts of it by the time he left.
I hate that these chips even exist. I hope you won't buy them.
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