Online find #23: 6000 Tropicana chips (1 Viewer)

[navels]

These chips popped up online last week. The seller was helping an older guy unload the chips. He'd gotten them years earlier from this guy, a former part owner of the Tropicana:

former-tropicana-owner-gustafson-dies-at-age-of-67

They were stored in US Mint bank bags. You can't make this stuff up:

Consequently there is a small amount of wear on the edges and the 5s especially are covered in chip dust and could use a light cleaning. Which I will probably try to crank out this weekend. The hot stamps are in excellent shape.

Huge kudos to @inca911 who helped rescue the deal when the seller got impatient waiting for PayPal to clear. (Impatient and quite a bit paranoid, he honestly thought I was a fed trying to entrap him for tax fraud.) Forrest made the exchange of cash for chips, inventoried, culled a few hundred warped $5s, and did a fabulous packing/shipping job.

The haul at Forrest's:

Breakdown:
100 x $1 (v2) casino used
100 x $100 (v2) unplayed and mint sharp
3640 x $5 (v3) great++ but dusty/dirty
1900 x $25 excellent+
(plus another 200+ warped $5s)

Paid: $4500. (Figure does not include shipping and other expenses, just what I paid the seller.)

Did I mention they are leaded?



Some more pr0n:

 

[Perthmike]

Another crazy score again. Well done terminator

 

[davin]

So amazing @navels true chip hero, and I salute you for bringing these to our community

 

[navels]

Some of these chips will be for sale as soon as I've exhausted all trade possibilities. See my signature for trade wants

 

[Don Clay]

A hell of a deal, congratz to both of you (y) :thumbsup:

 

[allforcharity]

Lee strikes again! Lucky you've got decent cash flow for something this size.

 

[EasyE]

Amazing. Congratulations!!

 

[Tommy]

Some of these chips will be for sale as soon as I've exhausted all trade possibilities. See my signature for trade wants

Maybe you can get some of those Inter-Continental chips that I'm looking for. And trade me for what is listed in your sig. Just saying.

 

[DoubleEagle]

Just amazing! Nice score.

 

[inca911]

My bit of the story: So it’s Monday night, and my phone lights up with a call from @Tommy. That’s odd. He tells me that @navels has some kind of emergency and needs my help. I know Lee’s hunting skills, so my spider sense goes off. I log onto PCF and make contact with Lee. A phone call later and I’m pulling cash from the safe and heading to meet some strange guy in a parking lot. Apparently he’s looking to back out of the deal unless he gets cash in hand. Like that same night. As I pull into the lot, I get make/model of car and the license number—wondering if this will work out. After a quick down payment cash exchange (that I imagine looks like some kind of drug deal) I drive off writing down a few notes about the guy’s neck tattoos in case I need to testify, hoping that tomorrow’s chip exchange planning goes well. The next morning, the guy isn’t returning my texts, which is concerning as we were to plan the pickup. Finally he responds, and asks me to meet him and his partner in another parking lot for the remaining payment and chip swap. I get there early and park near a camera I spot on the building. At least there will be evidence. Of my grisly demise. Both guys show up and start unloading dusty US Mint bags labeled 1976. Smiling inside, I relax for the first time and know that this is real. A quick check of the bags reveals the goodies. Satisfied, the rest of the cash exchanges hands and I head home to start sorting. After a few hours, the count is done and it’s all there! I send Lee some pics to sate his appetite. After making a bunch of Warneke boxes from @justsomedude , I start boxing and building LFRBs. The next morning, Lee let’s me know he wants the chips sent to him. I go with the familiar standard double boxed, 900 chips configuration. Chips were in my possession just one day, and the postal lady just laughs as I bring in stacks of boxes on Wednesday morning. She says they should get there on Friday, which ends up happening. All-in-all, another fun PCF adventure! I kept two racks for some MinneMania folks, and one chip each of the $25 and $5 for the memory. Glad I could help you close the deal, Lee!

P.S. I need more Warneke boxes again, if anyone has some to sell/spare....

 

[liftapint]

Super cool of you to do that @inca911! I'm glad you survived to tell the story!

 

[Perthmike]

Proof that the community spirit is still well and truly alive and strong. Good job @inca911 @Tommy and @navels

 

[BSteck]

How many times can I press like on this post?

 

[navels]

btw I am flattening the 200+ warped chips and so far it is going GREAT

 

[davin]

My bit of the story: So it’s Monday night, and my phone lights up with a call from @Tommy. That’s odd. He tells me that @navels has some kind of emergency and needs my help. I know Lee’s hunting skills, so my spider sense goes off. I log onto PCF and make contact with Lee. A phone call later and I’m pulling cash from the safe and heading to meet some strange guy in a parking lot. Apparently he’s looking to back out of the deal unless he gets cash in hand. Like that same night. As I pull into the lot, I get make/model of car and the license number—wondering if this will work out. After a quick down payment cash exchange (that I imagine looks like some kind of drug deal) I drive off writing down a few notes about the guy’s neck tattoos in case I need to testify, hoping that tomorrow’s chip exchange planning goes well. The next morning, the guy isn’t returning my texts, which is concerning as we were to plan the pickup. Finally he responds, and asks me to meet him and his partner in another parking lot for the remaining payment and chip swap. I get there early and park near a camera I spot on the building. At least there will be evidence. Of my grisly demise. Both guys show up and start unloading dusty US Mint bags labeled 1976. Smiling inside, I relax for the first time and know that this is real. A quick check of the bags reveals the goodies. Satisfied, the rest of the cash exchanges hands and I head home to start sorting. After a few hours, the count is done and it’s all there! I send Lee some pics to sate his appetite. After making a bunch of Warneke boxes from @justsomedude , I start boxing and building LFRBs. The next morning, Lee let’s me know he wants the chips sent to him. I go with the familiar standard double boxed, 900 chips configuration. Chips were in my possession just one day, and the postal lady just laughs as I bring in stacks of boxes on Wednesday morning. She says they should get there on Friday, which ends up happening. All-in-all, another fun PCF adventure! I kept two racks for some MinneMania folks, and one chip each of the $25 and $5 for the memory. Glad I could help you close the deal, Lee!

P.S. I need more Warneke boxes again, if anyone has some to sell/spare....

Awesome well done !!!

 

[kkbait]

Very nice !!

 

[Forty4]

P.S. I need more Warn eke boxes again, if anyone has some to sell/spare....

I can bring some in two weeks. How many do you want?

 

[bivey]

Your mission, should you choose to accept it....these chips will self destruct in 5 seconds.

 

[Highli99]

Such a cool story. Whatever internet hole Navels dives into to find these gems is quite the honey pot.

 

[superchromix]

btw I am flattening the 200+ warped chips and so far it is going GREAT

Awesome story and awesome score. Please post details of your flattening method!

 

[navels]

Maybe you can get some of those Inter-Continental chips that I'm looking for. And trade me for what is listed in your sig. Just saying.

I tried really hard! I eventually got in touch with one of the poker room managers who confirmed that all the chips went to "a company in the US", which I assume was Jim (Chip Vault) . . .

 

[Toby]

Was the guy with the tattoos Jim from TCR?

Maybe this is his new business model, to avoid those killer eBay fees

 

[Vice]

What a great find!

 

[Kain8]

Holy flurking shnit! That's monstrous!

 

[grantc54]

@navels you are a legend of chip finds!!

 

[detroitdad]

I can't wait to see pricing on these. The more I look at the fives and twenty fives the more I like them. WOW.............

 

[gkitt80]

I NEEEEEED a barrel of those $100's (or the whole rack!)...

Such an awesome score @navels - kudos to you

 

[WedgeRock]

I see two light blue boxes tied with ribbon that say "Trop $100 inlay 100 chips" but only one rack of hundies shown.

Do not toy with out emotions, good sir! Make with the hundo pron!

 

[navels]

Turns out the $1s were in one of those boxes . . .

 

[AfterTheFact]

Epic find! Congrats sir...