Recent issues:
Recently, we learned that the last owner of the business called "American Standard Molding" somehow acquired some Key West Resort & Casino chips while in Las Vegas. While these chips could have been acquired elsewhere, I believe at least some of them were purchased by my company, paid for up front, and returned to him for replacement. Instead, he closed his business without replacing the chips.
Now, two years removed from the closure of ASM Las Vegas in December, 2013, he is offering the chips for sale on Craigslist.
Members here have correctly recognized that selling flawed chips by calling them "new" and exaggerating their quality is unethical at the least. I note that his chips have not yet sold. I hope they don't.
Before ASM, Las Vegas, closed, the owner promised to replace chips I returned to him by making new, flawless chips. That never happened, and we were short several hundred chips when the company announced it was closing on December 4, 2013.
I am not happy that these Key Wests are now appearing on the market. My recommendation is simple: If you would like Key West Resort & Casino Chips, buy them from my company, or from Josh at Apache Poker Chips, who may still have some of the original issue chips from 2004. I can also recommend buying them on this site, where their provenance can be easily established.
Direct effect on our business:
The sale of Craiglist white $1 Key West chips has halted my plan to make white $1 chips "face value" in 2016. The plan was to offer to trade white $1 chips for their face value in merchandise for one year, and cash after that. That plan has been cancelled.
Response:
Key West Resort & Casino chips have been made exclusively by Classic Poker Chips since 2014. My company placed an early order with Classic on the morning of March 15, 2014 -- the day they opened for business -- and we've continued to buy our Key West chips exclusively from Classic Poker Chips since that day. The chips are brand new, mint, from the factory, and their quality harkens back to the old Atlantic Standard Molding of Portland, Maine.
We will be increasing quality control here to ensure that the chips we ship to you are the highest quality possible. If I would not put the chip on my table, I will not allow it to go out to yours. I continue to guarantee each chip sold. If you are not happy with a chip, return it for a refund or replacement.
We've also changed the box labeling a bit to give the boxes a cleaner look.
Where we are today:
Today, there are Key West chips on poker and blackjack tables in every state of the United States, and in 18 foreign countries. Key West chips are in play in Texas and Tuscaloosa, in the Black Forrest of Germany, on the French Riviera, and in Jerusalem and Beirut. They've traveled to Afghanistan with American troops, and are aboard (at least) one U.S. Navy ship at sea. Together, they number over 16,000, and their collective "face value" would be nearly $11 million, if they were only real.
Security of blue Key West $1 live chips:
All Key West blue $1 chips can be purchased for $1, and can be cashed in for $1 at any time. We began issuing these chips in 2014. To date, we've placed two orders for them with Classic Poker Chips for a total of 1,707 blue $1 chips, and issued 1,303 of them. The remaining 403 chips are kept securely, as is the cash backing the issued chips. We know the owners of all issued blue $1 chips.
The blue $1 chips remain secure and are unaffected by recent events.
The future of Key West:
My company will continue to make new Key West chips with Classic Poker Chips for as long as they and we are in business. We'll continue to use a portion of the profits from sales of our other items to offset the cost of Key West chips to members here and others who want a fine American-made clay casino chip for their home table.
Recently, we learned that the last owner of the business called "American Standard Molding" somehow acquired some Key West Resort & Casino chips while in Las Vegas. While these chips could have been acquired elsewhere, I believe at least some of them were purchased by my company, paid for up front, and returned to him for replacement. Instead, he closed his business without replacing the chips.
Now, two years removed from the closure of ASM Las Vegas in December, 2013, he is offering the chips for sale on Craigslist.
Members here have correctly recognized that selling flawed chips by calling them "new" and exaggerating their quality is unethical at the least. I note that his chips have not yet sold. I hope they don't.
Before ASM, Las Vegas, closed, the owner promised to replace chips I returned to him by making new, flawless chips. That never happened, and we were short several hundred chips when the company announced it was closing on December 4, 2013.
I am not happy that these Key Wests are now appearing on the market. My recommendation is simple: If you would like Key West Resort & Casino Chips, buy them from my company, or from Josh at Apache Poker Chips, who may still have some of the original issue chips from 2004. I can also recommend buying them on this site, where their provenance can be easily established.
Direct effect on our business:
The sale of Craiglist white $1 Key West chips has halted my plan to make white $1 chips "face value" in 2016. The plan was to offer to trade white $1 chips for their face value in merchandise for one year, and cash after that. That plan has been cancelled.
Response:
Key West Resort & Casino chips have been made exclusively by Classic Poker Chips since 2014. My company placed an early order with Classic on the morning of March 15, 2014 -- the day they opened for business -- and we've continued to buy our Key West chips exclusively from Classic Poker Chips since that day. The chips are brand new, mint, from the factory, and their quality harkens back to the old Atlantic Standard Molding of Portland, Maine.
We will be increasing quality control here to ensure that the chips we ship to you are the highest quality possible. If I would not put the chip on my table, I will not allow it to go out to yours. I continue to guarantee each chip sold. If you are not happy with a chip, return it for a refund or replacement.
We've also changed the box labeling a bit to give the boxes a cleaner look.
Where we are today:
Today, there are Key West chips on poker and blackjack tables in every state of the United States, and in 18 foreign countries. Key West chips are in play in Texas and Tuscaloosa, in the Black Forrest of Germany, on the French Riviera, and in Jerusalem and Beirut. They've traveled to Afghanistan with American troops, and are aboard (at least) one U.S. Navy ship at sea. Together, they number over 16,000, and their collective "face value" would be nearly $11 million, if they were only real.
Security of blue Key West $1 live chips:
All Key West blue $1 chips can be purchased for $1, and can be cashed in for $1 at any time. We began issuing these chips in 2014. To date, we've placed two orders for them with Classic Poker Chips for a total of 1,707 blue $1 chips, and issued 1,303 of them. The remaining 403 chips are kept securely, as is the cash backing the issued chips. We know the owners of all issued blue $1 chips.
The blue $1 chips remain secure and are unaffected by recent events.
The future of Key West:
My company will continue to make new Key West chips with Classic Poker Chips for as long as they and we are in business. We'll continue to use a portion of the profits from sales of our other items to offset the cost of Key West chips to members here and others who want a fine American-made clay casino chip for their home table.
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