For some time now I've been meaning to finish up this particular post. I started to work on it about a month ago and then got distracted by something else I was trying to finish up, so today it the day. No time like the present! I have been collecting Silver Strike tokens for many years now. These are either bronze or silver tokens that were won by playing the Silver Strike slot machines that were at one time in most casinos throughout the Untied States and several other countries. I never had any interest in the bronze variety, just the silver ones as I have been a silver collector since I was a kid.
Today, there are few of these slot machines left, I believe there two to three casinos in Las Vegas that still have them. All three of those are very small operations as the big resorts opt for the newest and best for their casinos. I particularly like ones that come from defunct casinos as they are part of history. This one is one of the few that is an exception to that rule. Several years ago I bought a lot of these silver tokens that were from Treasure Island, mainly because there were a couple I really liked. It was also a deal too good to pass up, but silver was much cheaper at that time.
This particular token is one that fits the Treasure Island name particularly well as it features a seafaring mythological creature; the siren. And in true Las Vegas fashion, they made the siren on this coin a very beautiful woman!
About the token:
silverstrikers.com
While I absolutely love the art they put into creating the design side with the siren, mine is in fairly oxidized condition. It was likely removed from it capsule and kept in a high humidity environment and the sulphur in the air reacted to the silver leaving the surface with sulphur oxide. I'm not going to sell this token, however, because it's just such a cool silver strike, but I may want to buy a cleaner looking one. This particular one doesn't come cheap, the prices on eBay tend to run more than $90.
There is one variety that was an error with on the logo side as the skull and swords instead of the new logo, as you can see below. Just imagine the siren on the design side and the old jolly roger on the logo side. I'm still trying to find one! Below you cans see what it looks like, but I'm sure it won't come cheap if I can ever find one.
silverstrikers.com
Treasure Island
Treasure Island opened it's doors in 1993 after a construction cost of $430 million dollars creating a pirate village feel to the resort. Shortly after opening the parent company quickly felt they had made a huge miscalculation, that the pirate theme didn't appeal to people coming the Vegas for a weekend getaway. So in 1998 they did a remodel and changed the sign and dramatically reducing the pirate theme.
I personally kind of liked the old sign though, have a look:
pinterest.com
And the new sign after the remodel:
dreamstime.com
Las Vegas executives are all about the money, so the changes were done to draw in a bigger crowd. It apparently worked as the casino/resort is still in business today! I have stayed there before, and it's a nice place.
An interesting fact I read about the casino is that it was in fact successfully robbed two times by the same individual. He only made off with about $30,000, but he pulled it off. My first question is why on earth would the idiot try to rob the same place twice? Also, why didn't the management put more security in place to prevent if from happening again. Then once again, this idiot casino robber decided to rob it a third time, this time he wasn't as lucky. He shot a security guard and was caught by police shortly after. He was sent to prison for the next 130 years of his life.
Just goes to show you shouldn't rob the same casino three times in a row... The guy must have been insane!
Sirens
Sirens are mythological creatures than first appeared in Greek mythology before 500 BCE and were represented in art as birds with female faces. Gradually they transitioned to being more of a mermaid look later in history. Their alluring voices were meant to tempt sailors to sail to their doom.
Below is Greek vase depicting a siren as a bird from around 540 BCE:
Wikipedia.org
For those who have read Homer's Odyssey you will recall Odysseus had his men put bees wax in their ears and had his men tie him to the mast to overcome the temptation of the siren's song. Below is a Roman mosaic depicting the event, it was painted in the second century AD.
Wikepdia.org
So who exactly were the sirens and how many were there? Originally the were two to eight of them depending on the source. Their parentage changes according to the source as well, the ancient sea god Phorcys in one and the river god Achelous when the sirens are mentioned by name. Tales of sirens would persist well into medieval times and sailors would fear them as they would draw them to their deaths. Below is a depiction from an English Bestiary from around 1235 AD.
Wikipedia.org
Even during the renaissance Leonardo Da Vinci wrote of them in one of his notebooks that their sweet song put sailors to sleep, they then board the ship and slaughtered the sailors. As late as the 17th century some Jesuits wrote of them and believed that the creatures actually existed. Mythology and superstition at their finest!
At any rate, sirens now have faded into pure mythology. Their depiction in artwork continues to this day, although now they tend to be much prettier than in the older depictions!
kidzworld.com
That will wrap up today's post on the siren silver token. It's one of my favorites from Treasure Island. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below. And as always, thanks so much for all of your support, it's deeply appreciated. Have a great weekend everyone!
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Island_Hotel_and_Casino
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(mythology)
Disclaimer:
I am not a financial planner and this isn't financial advice. Please always do your own research before investing your money. You worked hard enough to earn it!
All pictures are mine unless except where indicated
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