EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY:
BINION’S HORSESHOE $1,000,000 DISPLAY
LAS VEGAS, NV (1998)
This spot in front of the money display has probably been occupied by anyone and everyone who visited Las Vegas during the last half of the 20th Century.
There are spots where every person of means will get to at some point in their lives — places like Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, the Empire State Building in NYC, the Lincoln Memorial in WDC, and in LV….the famous Million-Dollar Display.
Well, not anymore. That final spot was dismantled 20 years ago.
Just before I began working for Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas, the owner sold off the famous money display to a currency collector. The Binion’s collection was exceptionally rare because it contained $10,000 banknotes with the portrait of Salmon P. Chase. Those bills were minted only one year, in 1918. So, the fact there were 100 of them uncirculated in perfect condition made this the rarest collection of banknotes, aside from what might be hidden away in federal vaults.
I’ve been lamenting the death of the old Las Vegas, when so many attractions and activities were a bargain and it didn’t take one of those rare $10,000 banknotes to spend the weekend. I won’t rehash those complaints here, but we can still be nostalgic about good times when so many things in Las Vegas were fun — and free.
Binion’s Horseshoe used to give away FREE photos of the Million-Dollar Display. All you had to do was step into the casino, stand in line (which was never more than a few minutes long), get a complimentary picture taken, and finally take home a souvenir when $1,000,000 really meant something. It was a wonderful gimmick that worked. Of course, while your photo was being processed (and always seemed to be delayed a little because the camera would mysteriously malfunction at least once an hour), you had 15-20 minutes to kill. Gee, uhh, what should we do while we wait for our free photo? Oh look, there’s a slot machine. Woop! The hook was set.
This spot in front of the money display has probably been occupied by anyone and everyone who visited Las Vegas during the last half of the 20th Century. Back in the 1960s, even Charles Manson (the mass murderer) once brought his “family” to the Horseshoe and got his photo taken in front of the million bucks. Helter Salmon P. Chase Skelter.
This photo was taken during the BARGE poker event in 1998. I’m here with Marieta, along with two friends who are still close to this day, Adam Bachrach (center) and Russ Rosenblum (far right). I can’t identify the other person in between. Maybe someone can help.
The money’s long gone. The photo display is dismantled. Binion’s Horseshoe is closed. The bargains have vanished. But hey, we’re still here. We outlasted them all. In the end — we won.