My Personal Vegas Collection

Solid, stamped metal — the kind casinos used before digital cards took over. In The Showgirl, this key becomes a crucial clue in the tense search-and-rescue scene, where every second counts.

Embossed with the golden MGM lion — a token usually reserved for high rollers and Hollywood names. Janice wasn’t either. She earned hers under the spotlight, sequins flashing. It was the tag on her suitcase the night she moved into the MGM — a small emblem of arrival, and the start of everything that followed.

An original souvenir from the legendary revue that filled Vegas showrooms with feathers, sequins, and brass-band spectacle. Janice performed in this show — her high-kicking routines and backstage stories from Hallelujah Hollywood became the spark for some of The Showgirl’s most dazzling moments. 

A snapshot of the 1980s gaming floors, when runners like Latisha hustled between tables calling out numbers and checking tickets by hand. Players marked their choices with wax crayons — exactly as they do in the novel.

Authentic postcards from the MGM Grand as it appeared during Janice’s residency — before the fire, before the rebranding — when the hotel stood as the pinnacle of luxury and spectacle. These images anchor key moments in The Showgirl, preserving the look and feel of the Vegas that once was.

Each of these heavy brass and silver tokens comes from a legendary resort of the showgirl era — the Stardust, the Dunes, Caesars Palace, and more. Once spun through the machines that defined Vegas nightlife, they now echo a time when every pull of the handle carried a jolt of glamour and chance.

The chips that sparked the romance — when a pair of these traded hands for something far more alluring. Their distinctive color and crisp edges marked a level above the casual player. In The Showgirl, this moment wasn’t just an exchange of chips, but the first flicker of chemistry.

The same tokens Janice used after profiting from her hustle with Jim — heavier, smoother, and distinctly more prestigious than the standard $1 chips. These $5 tokens carried weight in more ways than one: cool to the touch, finely milled, and gleaming with the MGM's stamp of luxury.

A Beckett-authenticated autograph on an Ace of Diamonds from the fictional Tangiers Hotel & Casino featured in Martin Scorsese's Casino. Though not part of THE SHOWGIRL, it represents one of the most iconic portrayals of classic Las Vegas and reflects my lifelong fascination with the city. 

Two collectible chips from the fictional Tangiers Hotel & Casino, immortalized in Casino. The Tangiers never existed, but it captures the spirit of the mob-era Las Vegas that continues to influence my writing and my collection.