I own an Old West poker chip with the imprint of a crescent and star. Is it true that was the mark for the Acme Saloon in El Paso, where John Wesley Hardin was killed?

Dylan Maver
Ben Lomond, California

Those crescent and star chips were made in bulk and used by a great number of gambling halls and private users alike. Unless they have specific markings on them, or say “Acme, El Paso,” they could have come from anywhere.

Be careful when somebody tells you that chips (or other items) come from a famous place or are connected to one of the Old West luminaries. Many folks don’t know what they’re talking about—and a lot of fakes are out there.

Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian. His latest book is Wyatt Earp: Showdown at Tombstone. If you have a question, write: Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 or e-mail him at marshall.trimble@sccmail.maricopa.edu