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2079
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1989 Rio Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas Nevada $1 Gaming Token 1st Yr
Neat find out of a home. This is a large coin that is marked as a gaming token for the Rio Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It shows the date, 1989, on one side.
Round, about 1 3/8 inches in diameter, a large half dollar type size. Metal, silver in color, not sure what material this is made of. Weighs .78 ounces or 22.1 grams.
Fully marked on both sides in raised letters. One side states "One Dollar Gaming Token, For Use By Player Only, 1989" in circular fashion along the outer edge, with the center stating "Rio, Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas" with the "Rio" in a script type logo fashion. The other side of the coin states "Acceptable Only at Rio Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada" in circular fashion along the outer edge, with the center stating "One Dollar Gaming Token, Rio" under which is a graphic of the hotel/casino. The outer edge of the token is ribbed with small vertical lines.
From some internet research, the Rio Suite Hotel & Casino was built in 1989 and opened in early 1990. Based on this, we believe this token was made while the hotel was being built, but we don't know if it dates to the initial run of manufacture (we just don't know whether all initial tokens for the casino were made in one or more than one manufacturing runs during 1989), but it is certainly an early token for this casino. The casino today goes by the name Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and is part of Caesars Entertainment.
We've provided 8 images to show from varied angles, with the token shown with a quarter in one image for size comparison. Given the all-over silver coin type coloring, this was hard to photograph as the camera light reflected highly on the metal surface, causing white "hot spots" and "blanding out" the detail. So some of the images were shot without the camera light, which makes them appear darker. This has the expected, usual, shiny silver color metal coin surface. We have not shined or cleaned this token and are selling as is, as found. Please use the zoom feature to examine closely.
We are not coin graders or experts and cannot grade this token, so we will describe the condition as we see it. To us, this looks like a very used coin, certainly not mint or uncirculated, exhibiting a lot of wear. Particularly in the center sections of each side, we can't tell if this vintage token was made to have the many small background lines as part of the design or if these are many small scratches/wear marks (our guess is that these are many scratches/wear markings). While all graphic details are fully there and visible, they do not look "pristine" and exhibit wear. There are no major chips or cracks on this token, but there are many tiny indents, scratches, perhaps low surface flakes, etc. A used or kept loose piece.
Still given the early date, this would make a fun addition to any collection related to casinos or casino tokens.
Circa: 1989
Manufacturer: Rio Suite Hotel & Casino
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