1985s Bill Borland Newsletter

A few of you may vaguely remember this item – a 1985 issue of Bill Borland’s World Wide Casino Exchange Newsletter that featured a story on Harold’s Club. Bill started a company he called Star Time, Inc. from his offices in Las Vegas and began purchasing casino dice, chips, and other memorabilia in the late 1970s.

He and his best girl, Starr Warrick, put out a semi-regular flyer with new chips they had come across, and they weren’t dealing in a handful of chips; no, they bought tens of thousands of chips, often getting all denominations from closed casinos at just a nickel each.

As their business grew, Bill began selling racks of chips (such as a $5 coin-inlay rack from the Rendezvous Casino in Vegas for $79). At the time, I was dealing in small lots, purchasing most of my chips from ads I ran in local newspapers, even scoring one from the Harlem Club in Reno.

When I was offered a box of 2500 chips from Zimba’s in Reno, I figured I would have enough traders to last a lifetime. So, I called Bill and asked about making a deal to trade some of his least popular chips for about a thousand, figuring I would be off by about a thousand and be set.

However, Bill’s way of doing business was to drive a bargain, getting three or even four chips for every chip he traded. Eventually, I sold about 2,000 chips to a friend in Florida for his home poker games. To my knowledge, in over 20 years, they haven’t surfaced as a “new” find of collectibles. Someday, they will.

As for Bill’s “Newsletter,” he periodically sent out issues, but I don’t recall a set schedule. Sharing these stories can make you feel connected through our common experiences in the hobby. It was listed as “bimonthly.” Phil Jensen was the Contributing Editor and may have written the stories, including the one about Harold’s Club in the edition above. Recognizing its role in preserving casino history can inspire you to explore and value these stories.

What say you, Phil? Did the newsletter follow any timetable? Earlier issues had photos of Harrah’s in Reno and covers from Las Vegas featuring the Gold Strike Inn, Diamond Jim’s Nevada Club, and the Flamingo.

Whether Bill Borland was timely or not, he provided a fun little newsletter that featured his gaming items and stimulated growth in the chip-collecting hobby, and, like other chip collectors and writers such as Jim Gillette, really helped promote the fun of casino history. This shared enthusiasm can make you feel part of a community that values these stories and collectibles.

I suppose a simple “Thanks” is due.

AL