Step back in time to the golden age of glitz and glamour with mid-century vintage Las Vegas memorabilia. From dazzling casino matchbooks and neon cocktail stirrers to iconic hotel postcards and souvenir ashtrays, these treasures tell the story of a bygone era when the Strip was a playground for the stars.

Whether you’re a vintage enthusiast, a collector, or simply nostalgic for the charm of classic Vegas, exploring these artifacts is like hitting the jackpot of history and style. Let’s dive into the world of mid-century Vegas and uncover the magic hidden in its memorabilia.

1950s vintage las vegas postcard dunes hotel

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Mid-Century Vintage Las Vegas Memorabilia

Vintage Las Vegas souvenir felt pennants from the mid 1960’s featuring Fremont St. casino’s.

Vintage Las Vegas souvenir felt pennants from the mid 1960’s featuring Freemont St Casino's.

Source: Etsy-UnVaultedVintage

Mid-Century 1960s ashtray from The Mint Casino.

Details: This is a clear glass souvenir ashtray from The Mint Casino in Las Vegas Nevada. The ashtray features a pink and black logo from the 1960’s, prior to the 26-story hotel skyscraper addition to the Mint, completed in 1965. In 1988, The Mint was sold and became part of Binion’s Horseshoe.

Due to its iconic Mid Century shape, The Mint is seen in several movies and videos including: 1964 – Viva Las Vegas and 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever (Source).

Fun Vintage Las Vegas History-A Mid-Century 1960s ashtray from The Mint Casino in Las Vegas.

Source: Etsy-TrinketsMysteryDepot

The Mint … opened in Las Vegas in 1957. What a beauty of a hotel exterior!

Vintage photo of The Mint hotel in Las Vegas that opened in 1957. Fantastic Mid-Century Architecture on the exterior. Fun vintage Las Vegas photo.

1960s Stardust Hotel and Casino vintage matchbook. Love the Mid Century stars illustrations.

Further Reading: Vintage Matchbook Advertising

Vintage Las Vegas 1960s Stardust Hotel and Casino vintage matchbook

Source: Etsy-QuickChickDesigns

1960s vintage restaurant menu for “Cafe La Parisienne” at the Dunes Hotel and Casino.

Dishes included: Roast Prime Rib for $6.50; Boiled Filet Mignon for $7.50. From my quick research these meals were in or around $70 (if my source was correct).

Further Reading: V intage Menus: 1920’s-1960’s

1960s vintage restaurant menu for "Cafe La Parisienne" at the Dunes Hotel and Casino. The cover illustration features a showgirl

1960s Vintage Restaurant Menu from the Dunes Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Fun Vintage Las Vegas memorabilia

Source: Etsy-Pianonewby

SANDS Las Vegas Times -Dedication Issue December 1965 Las Vegas. 28-page dedication program features stars, guests, pages of color drawings of multiple rooms in the hotel and more.

Vintage Las Vegas-SANDS Las Vegas Times -Dedication Issue December 1965 Las Vegas. 28-page dedication program features stars, guests, pages of color drawings of multiple rooms in the hotel and more.

Source: Etsy-DCshop

1960s Tiki Mug from Aku Aku, a Polynesian restaurant inside the Stardust Hotel.

Source: Etsy-SanDiegoVintage

Read all about the history of the Aku Aku Polynesian Restaurant HERE (fantastic photos).

1960s Vintage Advertising for Aku Aku a Polynesian restaurant inside the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas.

The photo below is from 1966 and you can see the amazing sign for the Aku Aku Polynesian restaurant in the background behind the marque that mentions a lineup featuring, The Collins Kids (seen them live), Montecillo Sisters (Filipino girl group), Coquettes and The Corondaos. FUN!

Vintage Las Vegas-1966 and you can see the amazing sign for the Aku Aku Polynesian restaurant in the background behind the marque that mentions a lineup featuring, The Collins Kids (seen them live), Montecillo Sisters (Filipino girl group), Coquettes and The Corondaos.

Source: Thehubagirls.blogspot.com

1960s View-Master for United States Travel featuring 21 picture reels of the Fabulous Las Vegas Strip.

Vintage Las Vegas-1960s View-Master United States Travel featuring 21 Picture Reels of Fabulous Las Vegas Strip.

Source: Etsy-SimplyUniqueByRob

1950s-60s nylon souvenir scarf from Las Vegas. Fun illustrations of the hotels.

Vintage Las Vegas-1950s-60s Nylon souvenir scarf from Las Vegas featuring gambling illustrations and various hotels you can stay at.

Source: Etsy-fifisfinds

Mid Century swizzle stir sticks from Las Vegas casino/resorts. Featured below, Caesars Palace, Harrah’s, Aladdin and Frontier.

Further Reading: The Kitschy Fun of Swizzle Sticks

Vintage Las Vegas- vintage plastic swizzle stir sticks from Las Vegas casino/resorts. Includes Caesars Palace, Harrah's, Aladdin and Frontier

Source: Etsy-ZenkatVintage

Vintage Las Vegas Postcard from the early 1950s for the Wilbur Clark’s Desert Inn. I absolutely LOVE the lobbies early 1950s interior design. The pink and greens work so well together!

Fun Facts about the Desert Inn:

Opened April 24th, 1950 and was the fifth resort to open on the Strip.
The casino was one of the largest in the state at that time at 2,400 sq. ft. and it was the first resort with fountains – the famous “Dancing Waters” show involving the water jets choreographed to music.
The Painted Desert showroom, with 450 seats, made the Desert Inn infamous with Las Vegas entertainment, and was where Frank Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut in 1951.
The nursery was designed as a oversized dolls house for parents to drop off their children to stay with trained nurses (Source).

Vintage Las Vegas Postcard from the early 1950s for the Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn Las Vegas, Nevada featuring a fun pink and green 1950s lobby design. Early Mid Century Interior Design.

Further Reading: Vintage Postcards

Source: eBay

I will end this post with this really fun 1970’s “Weekend in Las Vegas” board game by Research Games. The game has a copyright date of 1974, model #711 and is rated for up to 6 adult players. Included in the game box are the following: playing board (3 sections), roulette wheel, 5 horses (1 blue one is missing), deck of playing cards, 6 player tokens, business cards, lottery purchase tickets, lottery winning tickets, plastic chips, 3 dice, odds cards, slot machine spinner, cashier checks and the instructions. HOW FUN!

1970's "Weekend in Las Vegas" board game by Research Games. The game has a copyright date of 1974, model #711 and is rated for up to 6 adult players. Included in the game box are the following: playing board (3 sections), roulette wheel, 5 horses (1 blue one is missing), deck of playing cards, 6 player tokens, business cards, lottery purchase tickets, lottery winning tickets, plastic chips, 3 dice, odds cards, slot machine spinner, cashier checks and the instructions.

Source: Etsy-rust2retro

Further Reading: Vintage Las Vegas archived blog posts

I’m off to Las Vegas for what feels like the millionth time, and I couldn’t be more excited! If you’re a fan of the city that never sleeps, I’d love to hear from you—share your favorite memory, hotel, or must-have collectible in the comments below!.

Thanks for dropping by friends!

Liz

Welcome to 2023! I hope January has been good to you so far. I’m just back from basically travelling for a month (it was a blast) and now I’m off to Las Vegas again for my annual German Karneval (Mardi Gras) 2 day party at the Tuscany. It’s always a fun party with great people celebrating the traditions originally started in Germany. You can follow along on my Instagram Feed if you are interested.

In honour of my upcoming party weekend, I thought ‘Vintage Photo Tuesday‘ should focus on images from Las Vegas from the 1940s to the 1960s. Then if you enjoyed this post, you can find other vintage Vegas posts I have done at the end of today’s fun.

Let’s begin!

Flamingo Hotel (Las Vegas), 1950s. The Champagne Tower is seen on the right.

The Flamingo hotel is one of my favourite places to stay on the strip. It no longer looks like the cool Mid Century Architecture below but it’s still awesome.

1950s vintage photo of the front of the Flamingo Hotel (Las Vegas), 1950s - Las Vegas

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

Early 1950s photo of a stylish woman hanging out at the Sahara pool. What a super coloured photo!

1950s vintage photo of a stylish woman in 1950s fashions and 1950s hairstyle hanging out At the Sahara hotel pool, early 1950s. (Undated Kodachrome red border slide.)

Source: Facebook-Vintage Las Vegas

Bands are everyhere in the city. Here is a group of entertainers called “Polly Possum, Joe Wolverton and the Dogpatch County Band” performing at the Golden Nugget Saloon in downtown Las Vegas.

1950s Vintage Photo: Group of entertainers called "Polly Possum, Joe Wolverton and the Dogpatch County Band" performing at the Golden Nugget Saloon in downtown Las Vegas. Fun Vintage Las Vegas image.

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

1950s photo of four showgirls (another staple in the city) in stylish 1950s dresses outside the Moulin Rouge, preparing for the Helldorado parade, dated May 5, 1955.

About the Moulin Rouge:

On 24 May 1955 the Moulin Rouge Hotel and Casino opened. It was located at at 900, Bonanza Road on the west side of Las Vegas; becoming what the promoters called “the nation’s first major interracial hotel”.

Until the hotel’s opening African American entertainers in Las Vegas were denied access to public casino and hotel dining areas unless they were performing and were forced to stay overnight in segregated boarding houses on the Westside. Within the next few months the hotel attracted performers such as Louis Armstrong, George Burns, Nat King Cole, Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Unfortunately, despite its popularity, the Moulin Rouge closed its doors six months later surrounded by many rumors as to what had happened. Its brief run as a successfully integrated casino, though, prompted political activists to campaign for the integration of the Las Vegas Strip – an agreement that was achieved, ironically, in the now closed Moulin Rouge on March 26, 1960 (Source).

1950s photo of four showgirls in 1950s dresses outside the Moulin Rouge, preparing for the Helldorado parade, dated May 5, 1955.

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

Photograph of Lionel Hampton with members of the Moulin Rouge show group, 1955.

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

1960s vintage photo of a group of men and women in 1960s fashions hanging out at the Sands Hotel pool.

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

A floating craps game in the Sands Hotel swimming pool (Las Vegas), 1954. Love the 1950s swimsuits.

Photo description: “Floating craps table – Customers at the Sands Hotel escape the heat by gambling in the pool. About 2200 guests tried this in 1954.” (Source).

1950s vintage Photograph of a floating craps game in the Sands Hotel swimming pool (Las Vegas), 1954. Cute 1950s swimsuits on the women.

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

Las Vegas is known for it’s famous buffets. Here is a image of the Chuck Wagon Buffet at the El Rancho Vegas, late 1940s.

1940s vintage Photograph of the Chuck Wagon Buffet at the El Rancho Vegas (Las Vegas), late 1940s - Vintage Vegas

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

1951 photo of workers installing the now-famous Vegas Vic sign on the front of the Pioneer Club.

Photo Description: “First Highrise Hotel — Center of action downtown throughtout the 1930s was the Apache Hotel which boasted an elevator and a nitery downstairs. The corner is now Binion’s Horseshoe, but the spot has undergone many name changes from Tony Cornero’s ‘S.S. Rex’ to the Eldorado where the mobs were fighting for control of the race wire. Bugsy Siegel’s influence was first felt here in the early 1940s.” (Source).

1950s vintage Photograph of YESCO workers installing Vegas Vic at the Pioneer Club (Las Vegas), 1951

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

Desert Inn, 1950 – The Sky Room, at the top of a three story tower, the tallest structure on the Las Vegas Strip at the time. The woman on the right is Toni Clark, wife of DI president Wilbur Clark. Photographed by J.R. Eyerman for LIFE Magazine (Source).

Source: Facebook – Vintage Las Vegas

Las Vegas-The Wedding Capital.

Las Vegas residents Eddie and Johnie Wright at their wedding reception, April 25, 1957.

In an oral history interview (for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project) with Eddie Wright Jr. and Johnie B. Wright conducted by B. Leon Green. Wright and Wright Jr. discuss coming to Las Vegas, Nevada and their careers as a teacher/nursing aid and a ticket agent at the local Greyhound station, respectively (Source).

1950s vintage Photograph of Eddie and Johnie Wright at their wedding reception, April 25, 1957. Fantastic 1950s Wedding Image.

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

Another wedding photo but this time for Sammy Davis Jr and Loray White at the Sands in Las Vegas on 01/10/1958.

1950s Vintage Photo: Sammy Davis Jr and Loray White wedding at the Sands in Las Vegas on 01/10/1958

Source: Pinterest

Front exterior of Club Bingo (Las Vegas), between 1947-1952. What a fun sign! BINGO!

Photograph of the front exterior of Club Bingo (Las Vegas), between 1947-1952 - Vintage Vegas

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

Playing bingo at Golden Nugget, February 1947 – Photo by Jon Brenneis (Source).

1940s vintage image of a woman in westernwear and a 1940s hairstyle Playing bingo at Golden Nugget, February 1947 - Photo by Jon Brenneis

Source: Facebook-Vintage Las Vegas

Events and conventions are another staple of the Vegas scene.

Congo line at the American Parts System convention – Late 1960s photo.

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

Fremont & Main, 1946. Our lovely lady (love her braid hairstyle) is standing at Union Park which was in front of the Union Pacific depot. The photo is sometime between May-Nov. 1946 (source).

1940s vintage photo of a woman in a 1940s dress and a braided 1940s hairstyle at Fremont & Main, 1946. She's standing at Union Park which was in front of the Union Pacific depot. The photo is sometime between May-Nov. 1946.

Source: Facebook-Vintage Las Vegas

Famous Las Vegas shows. 1950s vintage photo of the Copa Girls Trans World Airlines show rehearsal at the Sands Hotel.

1950s vintage photo of the Copa Girls Trans World Airlines show rehearsal at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.

Source: UNLV Digital Collections

Thank you for dropping by and I hope you enjoyed this collection of vintage Vegas photos. Please share any comments you have about this blog post in the section below. I love hearing from my readers.

This is going to be another year of fun vintage content and I can’t wait to share it all with you!

Further Reading about Vintage Las Vegas:

Liz

Tag: Las Vegas

Mid-Century Vintage Las Vegas Memorabilia

Mid-Century Vintage Las Vegas Memorabilia

Vintage Las Vegas Photos, 1940s-1960s