Moulin Rouge: How RARE are the chips? Let's find out! (1 Viewer)

[Okku]

I saw someone by the name of @DerberAlter make a post recently or a while back about finding out how many Claim Stake 5's there are out there. I'd want to try and do the same thing with the Moulin Rouge chips. Since it was only open for under a year, who knows how many chips actually made it out. So I know this might take a lot of time to find out but I feel like it is worth the time and effort put into this project. Let's work on this together!

Here's a video I uploaded about this project:

-Oscar

 

[ADS Aviator]

Hi Oscar.

I have 3 Can-Can & 3 Eiffel Towers. All drilled. I sold 2 Can-Can & 2 Eiffel Towers to a couple of friends who are not hardcore collectors, but just fans of the MR for it's historical significance. This accounts for 10 x $5 drilled chips (5 can-can & 5 eiffel). Good luck with your project.

 

[gmunny]

While I can appreciate your enthusiasm, you may really never know how many chips, especially the undrilled ones are out there in the collector's universe. Many collectors do not read PCF, a lot of old timers don't look at the Chip Board, plus there are many that don't advertise their collections at all. I can tell you that there are a lot of drilled small key $5s and $25s out there. The undrilled ones are harder to find.

Per the outdated (2009) Camp & Wells Chip Price Guide, it lists the following:
Small Key mold, Eiffel Tower:
> Drilled $5 and $25 as "R1" on their rarity scale. R1 is defined as 2000+ chips estimated to exist.
> Undrilled $5s, $25, $10 0 are listed as "R8"s (8-15 known)
Small Key, Can Can Girl:
> Drilled $5 and $25 are R1 and $100 is a R9 (4-7 known)
> Undrilled $5 is an R8 and $100 is a R9
> Undrilled $25 is unknown
Rectangle mold, Eiffel Tower
> Undrilled $100 is listed as a R5 (76-150 known)

Keep in mind the rarity ratings were only an estimate and now are considerably outdated. Also, one thing in general about older drilled chips (though not sure if these include the MR small keys) is that many older casino chips were drilled to cancel them and then sold as Souvenirs in Gift Shops like a Key Chain. This was before more stricter rules around the destruction of chips were put into place. I am not sure that is the case with MR, but that would explain why so many of them would be out there.

Here are some pics of my chips.

H&C chips were used in Poker Room, when it "Re-opened" in 1993 for a few years. This set is fairly common, at least of few racks of each denom known.

Also, I can recall that every once in awhile, the owners of the property would open for a few days (usually a portable trailer with slot machines) to keep their license active. May want to search on that. There are some pics out there.

Good luck!

 

[Jeff in Iowa]

I don't know if you noticed this already, but the Burt Co. record cards for those first edition 1955 and later 1960s chips was very recently uploaded to the chip guide, so the number of those chips made is known, unless a record card is missing. How many of those chips actually survived is a completely different question.

11,000 Red $5 chips
6,000 Green $25 chips
3,000 Black $100 chips (small key)
2,000 Black $100 chips (rectangle mold)

http://chipguide.themogh.org/cg_chip2.php?id=NVLVMR&v=2085811260 You need to scroll to the very bottom.

The weird thing I just noticed is why were some chips made in the 1960s, if the casino was only originally open in the 1950s. The 1960s chips are the ones on the rectangle mold, which was owned by Langworthy.

 

[gmunny]

Yeah thats strange as i have dates that MR was open in May 1955, then closed in Nov 1955, then re-opened sometime later (I don't have a date) then closed again in July 1958. So if that's the case, who and why did they order the $100 rectangle mold chips in 1966 and and re-ordered in 1967? I wonder if there was an underground (aka Illegal) casino? Some of those $100 chips were in used condition.

 

[Jeff in Iowa]

Okku, I just watched the second half of your video, and I see that you are way ahead of me, and already found those chip order cards and noticed the 1960s anomaly. Anyway, maybe it is helpful to have the cards posted in the thread.

 

[Okku]

I don't know if you noticed this already, but the Burt Co. record cards for those first edition 1955 and later 1960s chips was very recently uploaded to the chip guide, so the number of those chips made is known, unless a record card is missing. How many of those chips actually survived is a completely different question.

11,000 Red $5 chips
6,000 Green $25 chips
3,000 Black $100 chips (small key)
2,000 Black $100 chips (rectangle mold)

http://chipguide.themogh.org/cg_chip2.php?id=NVLVMR&v=2085811260 You need to scroll to the very bottom.

The weird thing I just noticed is why were some chips made in the 1960s, if the casino was only originally open in the 1950s. The 1960s chips are the ones on the rectangle mold, which was owned by Langworthy.

View attachment 547067
View attachment 547070
View attachment 547071
View attachment 547072

Yeah I saw those, showed them in the video but was also wondering why the rectangle mold $100s were made after the fact that it had been closed for quite some time.

 

[Okku]

Yeah thats strange as i have dates that MR was open in May 1955, then closed in Nov 1955, then re-opened sometime later (I don't have a date) then closed again in July 1958. So if that's the case, who and why did they order the $100 rectangle mold chips in 1966 and and re-ordered in 1967? I wonder if there was an underground (aka Illegal) casino? Some of those $100 chips were in used condition.

That could be a possibility but who knows what happened and why they only ordered $100s instead of $5s and $25s as well.

 

[Okku]

While I can appreciate your enthusiasm, you may really never know how many chips, especially the undrilled ones are out there in the collector's universe. Many collectors do not read PCF, a lot of old timers don't look at the Chip Board, plus there are many that don't advertise their collections at all. I can tell you that there are a lot of drilled small key $5s and $25s out there. The undrilled ones are harder to find.

Per the outdated (2009) Camp & Wells Chip Price Guide, it lists the following:
Small Key mold, Eiffel Tower:
> Drilled $5 and $25 as "R1" on their rarity scale. R1 is defined as 2000+ chips estimated to exist.
> Undrilled $5s, $25, $10 0 are listed as "R8"s (8-15 known)
Small Key, Can Can Girl:
> Drilled $5 and $25 are R1 and $100 is a R9 (4-7 known)
> Undrilled $5 is an R8 and $100 is a R9
> Undrilled $25 is unknown
Rectangle mold, Eiffel Tower
> Undrilled $100 is listed as a R5 (76-150 known)

Keep in mind the rarity ratings were only an estimate and now are considerably outdated. Also, one thing in general about older drilled chips (though not sure if these include the MR small keys) is that many older casino chips were drilled to cancel them and then sold as Souvenirs in Gift Shops like a Key Chain. This was before more stricter rules around the destruction of chips were put into place. I am not sure that is the case with MR, but that would explain why so many of them would be out there.

Here are some pics of my chips.

H&C chips were used in Poker Room, when it "Re-opened" in 1993 for a few years. This set is fairly common, at least of few racks of each denom known.

Also, I can recall that every once in awhile, the owners of the property would open for a few days (usually a portable trailer with slot machines) to keep their license active. May want to search on that. There are some pics out there.

Good luck!

WOW those are incredible non cancelled ones that you have!

 

[Okku]

Hi Oscar.

I have 3 Can-Can & 3 Eiffel Towers. All drilled. I sold 2 Can-Can & 2 Eiffel Towers to a couple of friends who are not hardcore collectors, but just fans of the MR for it's historical significance. This accounts for 10 x $5 drilled chips (5 can-can & 5 eiffel). Good luck with your project.

View attachment 546864 View attachment 546865

Thanks for the input and info!

 

[CrazyEddie]

Wow, what amazing chips! Small greek key, incredible artwork, awesome colors and spots, and a great provenance... I don't collect casino chips, but I'd take a playable set of these happily! Not that there's likely to ever be such a set, although I guess someone might have one locked up tight somewhere.

 

[Okku]

Wow, what amazing chips! Small greek key, incredible artwork, awesome colors and spots, and a great provenance... I don't collect casino chips, but I'd take a playable set of these happily! Not that there's likely to ever be such a set, although I guess someone might have one locked up tight somewhere.

A playable set of these would be insane to see! I'm guessing someone's got a bunch of these somewhere for sure

 

[Okku]

So getting back to this, it's been a while and haven't had too much time with school and work. Being that in this thread alone we've accounted for

11x $5 Cancelled chips
1x $5 Non-Cancelled Can-Can
1x $5 Non-Cancelled Eiffel Tower
1x $100 Eiffel Tower

As well as the 90s chips

1x for $1, $5, $25

Recently there's been both versions of the non-cancelled $5 on eBay so that makes it 2x for both of those and there is a cancelled $100 Can-Can on eBay currently. That's ending today.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Mouli...-Cancelled-Casino-Chip-Las-Vegas/303787635218

 

[Okku]

Just made a history video about the Moulin Rouge on my other thread filled with all of my other videos. Talking about how it changed boundaries here in Las Vegas and was Vegas' 1st interracial casino hotel. Here's the link if you'd like to check it out: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...no-videos-random-fun-stuff.66713/post-1384089

 

[Okku]

Been a while since I've posted anything into here or found anything new regarding uncancelled/cancelled chips as I haven't been checking eBay much lately. Good news though with the power of the chip community and people on ChipBoard we were able to figure out what might have been "fake" Moulin Rouge roulette chips. I knew it was real from the very first sight of it...... if you'd like to read more and watch my new video talking about it you can find it here in my other thread! https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...no-videos-random-fun-stuff.66713/post-1440087

 

[divinerites]

Also, I can recall that every once in awhile, the owners of the property would open for a few days (usually a portable trailer with slot machines) to keep their license active. May want to search on that. There are some pics out there

Hello, old thread but just found it.
I made a report in 2014 on the French "Club Poker" for the 2 days reopening.

You can find it here : https://www.clubpoker.net/forum-pok...s-little-news/?do=findComment&comment=3619567