Collecting Poker Chips

Players from all countries can PLAY!

Collecting old poker chips can also be an affordable and fun hobby. In fact, such a lot of people collect casino memorabilia, especially chips, that there's even a hobby group called the Casino Chip and Gaming Tokens Collectors Club (CCandGTCC) that may be affiliated with the American Numismatic Association!

Poker chips themselves has been around for so long as poker, but most collectors be aware of the circular discs which have been used for the last 100 years or so. In keeping with antique gaming chip authority Robert Eisenstadt, "Inlaid gambling chips (Crest and Seal-type) manufactured by the united states.. Playing Card Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, which have been made between approximately 1910 and 1940's."

Poker Chip Styles

The poker chips shown above are generic inlaid chips with a smooth feel fabricated from clay. The clay chips have litho inlays and flat rims. They're heavy and measure in regards to the same as today's standard casino chip - 39 mm or about an inch and a half across. While chips were product of bone, wood, celluloid, ivory, and clay, it's the clay chips which are seen within the most varieties because there have been such a lot of produced. These chips sell anywhere from $2 to $5 each.

Ivory Chips

Ivory chips are a favourite of collectors for his or her beauty and sturdiness. Because they weren't produced within the numbers that clay chips were, the costs are considerably higher. Even generic "number" chips usually are $20 or more. More intricate work at the chip or rarity will influence the desirability and value of any chip.

Real ivory chips show one of the crucial curved grain that ivory has. The cross-hatching might not be immediately noticeable, but it surely need to be found at the chip, perhaps along the rim of the chip. Most ivory chips are engraved, or scrimshawed, and stained to turn the design. Ivory chips are nearly always scrimshawed (engraved) with a design.

Ivory chip values are influenced by design and condition. Chips with concentric designs or simply numbers sell for under chips that experience animals or more intricate designs. Warped chips are less desirable.

Ivory, while strong, remains to be more likely to chip and crack. Holding the chip as much as a robust light is probably going to expose any cracks.

Other Chip Compositions

There don't seem to be too many collectors for chips made from bone, wood, paper and mother of pearl. Bakelite chips are available too, but are unlikely to be expensive. However, Catalin, an early type of Bakelite, was used on chips with varying results. The chips are colorful with a soft marbleized look and do have some added value. While collectors do exist, the good majority of collectors have an interest in chips made similar to the photo above. These chips, manufactured from clay, were available in hundreds of styles with different inlays, colors and designs.

The chips above will have been for back-of-the-store poker rooms or used as roulette chips, but they were plentiful and today rarely sell for quite a lot of dollars. Many chips of this style were made for illegal clubs and while not strictly "poker" chips, they've been collected through the years as such because most were unknown to collectors as anything but.

As the hobby of collecting poker and casino chips has expanded, additional information about illegal casinos has made its way into the leading edge. Chips sold at auction sites like ebay have also enlightened collectors in regards to the origin in their chips.

Dale Seymour's Antique Gambling Chips

In 1985, Dale Seymour published his book Antique Gambling Chips. Before that date there has been little or no literature about chips and the collecting hobby. The book assigned a three-lettered Alpha code to chips and provided some background on gaming chips and likewise included hundreds of illustrations. Seymour's contributions to the hobby are still valuable and his book was updated several times. It's really worth owning! Buy Direct

Read More... [Source: About.com Casino Gambling: What's Hot Now]