People love getting souvenirs that have that exclusivity factor. When businesses close or cease to exist, people come out of the woodwork to re-sell or at least show off their branded merchandise. We saw it with companies like Lehman Brothers, Theranos, FTX, and Silicon Valley Bank.
Now, as the famed Tropicana casino and hotel in Las Vegas is nearing its implosion date (to make room for a new MLB stadium), all sorts of memorabilia from the “Trop” are popping up online.
And, apparently, that’s the only way people are able to get Tropicana-branded gear, as KTNV reported that shoppers found a completely empty merchandise store inside the now-closed casino.
Over on eBay, though, the listings go far beyond just things like T-shirts and postcards.
There’s a fairly large amount of poker chips and table game chips on the re-sale site. Individual chips valued between $1 and $100, ostensibly worth only the plastic they’re made out of now, are currently listed for around $15 to $20.
A set of branded dice is listed for $15.
A ballpoint pen (complete with rhinestones) is going for $15.
Information brochures dating back to as far as the 1990s are currently up for about $15.
Even a branded plastic bag is going as high as $6.
A shoe buffer with the hotel logo is even up for $1.49.
The highest-priced items are currently a “Reserved Parking Only” sign presumably from the hotel’s parking lot, which is currently listed at $350, and a “See You Soon!” Sign from the parking lot listed at $775 (both from the same seller).
The poker chips are overwhelmingly the most popular items, though, and offer a fun look back at the various eras of the hotel’s design aesthetic.
But, the item that is possibly the most grim reminder of the Trop’s gambling history is a “Responsible Gaming” branded pamphlet, complete with information on how to be removed from marketing lists, and the number for the Problem Gamblers Helpline, currently listed at $47.50.
