As the famous saying goes, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, but there are things that can head home with you after a visit to the gambling capital of the world. The excitement and memories of course will still be hanging around with you long after you have boarded the plane for home.
What can also find its way into your luggage are casino souvenirs and small pieces of memorabilia from gambling establishments that can range from the quirky to the outrageous. Whether these knick-knacks are for personal keepsakes or to hand over to friends and family as treats, they are big business.
Staying at home and playing online at debit card casinos is a convenient alternative, but nothing beats putting boots on the ground in Vegas. But what about those souvenirs – are they actually worth collecting for kitsch nostalgia and sentimental value? Or do they exist as little more than tacky trinkets?
Types of Souvenirs
Without ever having stepped foot in Las Vegas, you can probably imagine the kind of things that can be purchased as souvenirs. It’s pretty much the same stuff that you can find from any tourist destination in the world, only the stuff in Las Vegas is often branded casino souvenirs.
The common fare is things like shot glasses, poker chip keychains and t-shirts boasting the name of a famous Vegas casino. Anything you can imagine really from snow globes of The Strip, fridge magnets, tote bags, drinking cups and of course packs of playing cards and game chips can all be snapped up.
Whether to Get Casino Souvenirs
Where do people get their Las Vegas memorabilia from? There are a fair few souvenir stores around the city, which are going to offer much cheaper prices than trying to purchase better quality items from a casino shop, for example.
So if you are in town, you can find dedicated stores and even pick a small selection from local grocery and pharmacy stores. There is of course the option of purchasing things online too. Maybe you forgot to pick some up while you were there, well not to worry, because you can still get that pillowcase with the Bellagio’s fountains on by mail order.
Collectable Keepsakes
Amazingly, some of these items are turned into collectables, which is of course a personal choice. It could be a seasoned traveler that collects playing cards from wherever they go, and what better place to get them from than Las Vegas? Branded cards from the likes of the MGM Grand and Planet Hollywood could be highly coveted to a collector.
Lighters, piggy banks, teddy bears, ashtrays and even Christmas ornaments can fall into the category of being collectors’ items. It’s pretty much a free-for-all when it comes to what can be collected.
Collecting souvenirs is not a new thing, of course. Some love the thrill of the hunt and finding something new to add to their ever-growing collection. Casino collections can be started with intent or just from the small act of being handed a surprise trinket that someone handed over as a gift.
Cheap Tchotchkes
But there are an equal number of people who will see these souvenir trinkets and turn their noses up at them. A coffee mug with the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign on it, for example, is just a coffee mug that probably won’t fit in with most people’s design tastes.
It’s true that most tourist souvenirs are on the bright, somewhat garish side of things, which can be off-putting for a lot of people. They aren’t designed to be fancy, they are simply designed to sell and for the most part are purposeless items. As Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world full of bright lights, the souvenirs are going to reflect that vibe.
Tacky Treasures
It’s always nice to be thought of and to have someone bring you back a gift from their travels, but cheap trinkets can often feel worthless because more often than not, the item is nothing that you need anyway.
Maybe it is a blend of tacky and treasured that makes casino souvenirs still so popular today. Do you need a plush bear with a picture of Caesar’s Palace on it? Have you been longing for a flash of iconic casinos like the Stratosphere and Paris on it?
Probably not, but there can be a personal connection to items, whether received as a gift or purchased for yourself as a keepsake to evoke memories and stories at a later date. That doesn’t mean the item is particularly beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, it may be a real treasure.
