Well, having waited all day, getting the word that they had been delivered, and finally getting home tonight, I was able at last to crack open the much anticipated plaques.
Fresh out of the box from Josh (Thanks again for the speedy packing and delivery!!):
Here's the two I took tonight with me to make my Scouts jealous
:
Once I got home, I was able to start playing around:
"$40 million 500 thousand, all in."
First impressions:
These plaques are Fantastic!! I've never handled a Matsui before, but I am pleased with their finish, styling, and weight. The pearlized finish gives them amazing depth, and the colours are great. For some reason I thought the gold lettering would be printed on the face of the plaque, and was therefore worried about some eventually scratching off. However, such is not the case-- it's all encased below a protective (and very glossy!) clear coat on the surface of the plaque.
And I absolutely love the size!
Speaking of which, I thought I'd snap a couple of photos for relative size comparison:
The Sahara $50 plaque measures approximately 95 x 66 mm, or about the size of most of the Matsui plaques that you've seen before. I guess it is up to personal preference if bigger really is better, but luckily I have been doing my push-ups, and so have the fortitude to haul them to the table.
And I don't suppose I'll accidentally misplace any underneath a deck of cards.
Anyway, what can I say? I suddenly wish I had ordered more!
My thanks go out again to Bernd for his amazing artwork, Damien for the idea and getting (and keeping) the ball rolling, and of course Josh for managing all of the logistics from order to delivery. And of course, without all of the other purchasers, this could have never come to fruition. You all are the best!
And to whoever suggested to the group to go with the larger plaque sizes to make them accurate to the movie, kudos to you as well.
Ahh... Group Hug!
Signing off for now; I think I'll sleep well tonight, with a plaque under my pillow...
Poker Anyone?
bjjensen
