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Windwalker’s Chipping Journey in Pr0n0grAph1C Detail (18 Viewers)

Windwalker said:
More pics of the Mountain Clubs once @JeepologyOffroad has has a chance to do his cleaning magic on them!

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A bit of interesting history that I was able to dig up. The Mountain Club card room in Tracy, CA was open for just 11 short months between June 1973 and May 1974. The card room was shut down because of a rat infestation. Apparently, a sewer line broke, some bad plumbing mixed in, and voila, rats!

The card room never opened again, and in 1976, was turned into a large laundromat.

These chips have been with the same owner for 46 years, he was one of the dealers who worked at the card room. He was 22 at the time. For the last 25 years, they’ve been in a storage closet of his.

As far as he knows, this is the only set in quantity known to exist.
 
Well it’s not all bad news... “Fake it till you make it” right? Could be a great relabelling project:D

3FD3196D-FE13-4027-9C95-CBF73D4A7171.jpeg


pictured here: Karl’s 5, MRS $5, Happy Knights $10 and Camino $20
 
PocketAces said:
Well it’s not all bad news... “Fake it till you make it” right? Could be a great relabelling project:D

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pictured here: Karl’s 5, MRS $5, Happy Knights $10 and Camino $20
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The story I posted wasn’t about the Doc’s, it was about the Mountain Club in Tracy. Doc’s was in San Diego.
 
Such a sick $1 chip. Still the prettiest set I've ever seen. I'm not a fan of IHC or mixed sizes in a set but this set would be the exception. Reminds me of the Empress $1000 primary but IHC.
 
buffalojim said:
Such a sick $1 chip. Still the prettiest set I've ever seen. I'm not a fan of IHC or mixed sizes in a set but this set would be the exception. Reminds me of the Empress $1000 primary but IHC.
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These are the IHC V1, where the top hat and cane are spaced away from the edge of the chip. Compare that to the IHC on the Jack blaze orange $1k, and you’ll see how much closer to the edge of the chip the emblem is. That’s the V2.
 
davislane said:
tytytyty.

The lilac doesn't seem to match that well with the base colour of the $500. I know these things are never 100% as chips fade and colors change slightly over the years.

Is pumpkin potentially a better color match for the spots on the $25 instead of orange?
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The lilac is an exact match. Purple is too dark. I think it’s the lighting in the room. The orange is also the right match. Pumpkin doesn’t match on the edges at all.
 
The set is absolutely stunning. The $5 and bear claw $100 look great but, to me, it’s the $1 (what a beauty!!) and the $500 that make this set so special. Can’t stop looking at those $1 :jawdrop:
 
Windwalker said:
The lilac is an exact match. Purple is too dark. I think it’s the lighting in the room. The orange is also the right match. Pumpkin doesn’t match on the edges at all.
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I can only judge from the photos and those are the only two colors that seem off in the photos. Since you have them right in front of you Ill take your word for it

Also, this is only for the benefit of my own OCD and for future reference, but when taking photos of color-matched chips is it possible to do so with the color chip aligned next to the color on the chip? Eg. the sherbet orange chip could be aligned with the sherbet orange spot. I'm sure people would have their own preferences, but I find it easier to identify the much as well as more aesthetically pleasing when they are. Thanks again for indulging us all.
 
Wow I never realised the spots on the $1k are actually grey, next to the blaze orange they look more like light blue. Very interesting !

I really hope you manage to find more, this set is one of the very few I find all denoms to look fantastic.
 
davislane said:
I can only judge from the photos and those are the only two colors that seem off in the photos. Since you have them right in front of you Ill take your word for it

Also, this is only for the benefit of my own OCD and for future reference, but when taking photos of color-matched chips is it possible to do so with the color chip aligned next to the color on the chip? Eg. the sherbet orange chip could be aligned with the sherbet orange spot. I'm sure people would have their own preferences, but I find it easier to identify the much as well as more aesthetically pleasing when they are. Thanks again for indulging us all.
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If this was my thread, I'd tell you to get the fuck out. Just saying
 
Windwalker said:
New California card room set from the Mountain Club in Tracy. So excited that I was able to find an 840-chipset of these beauties. Pr0n coming as soon as they’re cleaned — they’ve been sitting in a storage unit for 25 years.:tup:

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Windwalker said:
A bit of interesting history that I was able to dig up. The Mountain Club card room in Tracy, CA was open for just 11 short months between June 1973 and May 1974. The card room was shut down because of a rat infestation. Apparently, a sewer line broke, some bad plumbing mixed in, and voila, rats!

The card room never opened again, and in 1976, was turned into a large laundromat.

These chips have been with the same owner for 46 years, he was one of the dealers who worked at the card room. He was 22 at the time. For the last 25 years, they’ve been in a storage closet of his.

As far as he knows, this is the only set in quantity known to exist.
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Nice set and an even better backstory.

I used to live just down the road from Tracy. Put me on the (massive) interest list if you ever decide to part ways with this set.
 
Windwalker said:
I got a few requests for more Pr0n of the Starlites, and it’s a lazy Sunday, so here it is.

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I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on where these sit in the rankings with regards to the sets you own!

What's the backstory on them, do you know? Were they used on one specific Starlite ship?
 
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TKEUofM said:
What’s the story on the Starlites?
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jr8719 said:
What's the backstory on them, do you know? Were they used on one specific Starlite ship?
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In October 1990, The cruise operator Stena Line decommissioned the Swedish-flag bearing ferry ship CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA selling it to the Greek-owned StarLite Cruises, who bought the ship in December 1990, renaming it the PACIFIC STAR. The ship, built in 1968, had originally been a ro/ro ferry called STAFFORD, but since renamed, reconcepted and rebuilt many times over the years.

The redesigned PACIFIC STAR sailed first in Apr 1991, a red-white-and-blue trimmed, Bahamian-flag bearing gambling ship, promising the West Coast's first and only one-day gambling cruise experience.

The ship departed from San Diego's CST for an out-and-back 13-hour cruise including a 2 hour stop in Ensenada and Old Mexico, and then back to San Diego, by around half past ten in the evening. Up to 400 passengers could be easily accommodated on the 475 foot former ferry. It boasted sumptuous buffets, a full (but small) casino, sundecks, sports bars, hot tubs and Vegas-style entertainment. About an hour after leaving San Diego, the ship would be in international waters, when the casino became the main attraction - it had slots, video poker, blackjack tables, and of course -- two poker tables.

Unfortunately, the PACIFIC STAR sailed for only one season, making its last voyage in November of 1991.The chips I posted are from the first and only season the ship sailed. StarLite sold the ship to Island Breeze International, who moved the ship over to Miami, and for several years after that, operated it as a day-cruise gambling ferry from Dade county.

This is the last known photograph of the ship, from 2012, when it was called the ISLAND BREEZE. The picture shows a ship in disarray and neglect, a far cry from the "glistening and regal" PACIFIC STAR from almost two decades before. I haven't been able to find out if the ship was so old and used that it was decommissioned soon after.

IMG_1527.JPG
 
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Windwalker said:
In October 1990, The cruise operator Stena Line decommissioned the Swedish-flag bearing ferry ship CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA selling it to the Greek-owned StarLite Cruises, who bought the ship in December 1990, renaming it the PACIFIC STAR. The ship, built in 1968, had originally been a ro/ro ferry called STAFFORD, but since renamed, reconcepted and rebuilt many times over the years.

The redesigned PACIFIC STAR sailed first in Apr 1991, a red-white-and-blue trimmed, Bahamian-flag bearing gambling ship, promising the West Coast's first and only one-day gambling cruise ship.

The ship departed from San Diego's CST for an out-and-back 13-hour cruise including a 2 hour stop in Ensenada and Old Mexico, and then back to San Diego, by around half past ten in the evening. Up to 400 passengers could be easily accommodated on the 475 foot former ferry. It boasted sumptuous buffets, a full (but small) casino, sundecks, sports bars, hot tubs and Vegas-style entertainment. About an hour after leaving San Diego, the ship would be in international waters, when the casino became the main attraction - it had slots, video poker, blackjack tables, and of course -- two poker tables.

Unfortunately, the PACIFIC STAR sailed for only one season, making its last voyage in November of 1991.The chips I posted are from the first and only season the ship sailed. StarLite sold the ship to Island Breeze International, who moved the ship over to Miami, and for several years after that, operated it as a day-cruise gambling ferry from Dade county.

This is the last known photograph of the ship, from 2012, when it was called the ISLAND BREEZE. I haven't been able to find out if the ship was so old and used that it was decommissioned soon after.

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It’s funny how a name like Pacific Star conjures up images of a luxury liner... then you see the reality.
Now I know how girls must have felt when they met me after reading my Internet dating profile :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:
 

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