There I was, staring at the screen with 3 minutes to go. The Landmark Gold card was at $777.77. The high bidder was "Q"- one of the top collectors and finest gentlemen in the hobby. If it was any other card, I would have let it go. But this was a card I felt might not be for sale for a decade, if ever! Why? The regular Landmark card is very desirable, but not as rare as many others. There are at least 10 regular Landmark cards already accounted for, with others awaiting certain discovery as time goes by. I actually got my regular Landmark card by signing up for it on January 7, 1989 - a few days after the club was started. I am number 332! This is the lowest number I have ever been on any slot card. Having actually played at the Landmark increased my interest in obtaining such a spectacular item from there. Back then, slot clubs were not frantic operations with rows of computer terminals and harried personnel. They had a girl or two who made cards at her leisure. It was back in the days when people did not automatically sign up for cards. I know the highest number on any Landmark card that I have seen is about 27,500. This Gold card had a number close to that. I have an original brochure for the club, but no mention of a Gold card is ever made. James Campiglia, the seller, owned both known Gold Landmark cards - both obtained from the same person. He may have gotten them at the tables, but time has faded the memory. I do know that I played a lot at the Landmark and so did my friends, but none of us ever got or saw a gold card. Therefore, I came to believe in the possibility that this Gold card may have been a higher level that was implemented right before the Landmark went out of business. That would explain why I never saw one at the time. That would also explain why they are so rare. James' source just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Look at the math. Let's say that 100 people (and this may be generous for a place that was not doing much business at the time)qualified for the gold level. Of those 100 cards that were issued, how many have been thrown out by now? I think the attrition rate on old slot cards is at least 95% for a 10 year period - especially when the casino goes out of business. Back when cards were first used, people mistakenly equated them with credit cards and cut them up and destroyed them when they were done. Therefore, if I am anywhere close to correct, there are only 5 Gold Landmark cards on the planet Earth. Of the other 3, how many will end up in the hands of a collector? Of course, predicting something like this is very, very subjective, but that's what makes a horse race. With less than a minute remaining, I put in a large bid a bit above the final selling price and hit the refresh button to discover that I had won. I just thought it might be interesting for you all to know why I did what I did! Happy collecting, Steve