Las Vegas Casino Chips & Poker Chips

In the Chips
Collectors gathering colorful symbols of Las Vegas gambling scene

After a long night parking cars at The Mirage, Pete Rizzo looked into the valets' tip box and noticed seven or eight colorful gaming chips from different Las Vegas casinos.
"We get tipped in chips a lot," he said.
Rizzo examined the chips closely and realized they were an attractive collectible that epitomized his chosen city of Las Vegas. He quickly got hooked on collecting. "I just collect Las Vegas," Rizzo said. "There is something about chips from Vegas. They are pieces of art and little time capsules of Las Vegas. Everything about them is cool."
Mounted in holders in black felt carpet on the wall in his Summerlin home are about 600 gaming chips.
His is not the best or largest collection. He just wants to collect every Las Vegas chip with "a cool graphic."
There are some doozies on the walls. Rizzo's most valuable chip is a Desert Inn variety from the 1950s that is worth about $1,000. He also has a commemorative chip that features Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. He owns unusual chips such as those distributed to celebrate the Tropicana's Miss Hawaiian Tropics contest showing bathing beauties, along with chips depicting race car drivers and even one of baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson distributed by the Las Vegas Club.
Chips have benefited Rizzo personally. From the sale of his first chip collection, he made the down payment on his home. Since re-entering collecting last year, he has replaced every chip he sold. One of his El Rancho Vegas chips is singed from the fire in 1960 that destroyed the then-prominent casino on the southwest corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.
"Security guards pulled out boxes of chips during the fire," said Rizzo, admitting he once scaled the fence to look closely at the El Rancho Vegas site. He also has an old Dunes chip he thinks was among the batch extricated when the hotel was blown up. According to legend, thousands of chips had been embedded for years in the cement floor of the Dunes' Oasis gaming area. Some somehow got into the hands of collectors after the hotel was imploded. There also are chips from the old Thunderbird hotel from the 1950s that served as business cards for casino executives. The hotel is pictured on one side and the executive's name on the reverse side.
Chips tell the gaming history of Las Vegas. They were played on tables at the El Rancho Vegas, at Vegas Vic's Pioneer Club, and at forgotten West Las Vegas clubs such as the Moulin Rouge, El Rio and Carver House.
Rizzo won't sell any of the chips in his collection, but he does trade duplicates. When The Venetian opened, he headed for the cage and purchased 40, $5 grand-opening chips. Within 16 hours, he had traded them to fellow collectors. "I could have gotten rid of them in eight hours," he said. "Everybody wanted them." But the growing popularity of chips on the Internet, particularly those sold on the eBay Web site, has its pitfalls. Rizzo said too many people deal nearly worthless chips to unsuspecting buyers. "There are some greedy people out there," Rizzo said. "Like in any hobby, you have to be careful. Not everyone is honest."
Like any collector, Rizzo dreams of finding the mother lode of forgotten chips. Somewhere out in Las Vegas is an old man or woman who went to the Flamingo opening and stuffed a couple of chips in a drawer. "I know they are out there," he said. "I'd just like to see them."

Casino Chips & Casino Chip Collecting To the gamblers they are a way of tracking wins and losses. To the casinos they are cash. To the collectors they are pieces of history and art to be archived and displayed.

Most casino chip collectors began in the same fashion simply by taking home a chip or two from a vacation or business trip. The chips are tucked away in a desk or dresser drawer to be forgotten about until the next opportunity to visit the casino. As the stack of souvenirs grows, the collector may become curious to the number of chips available and the number of casinos that had chips that can be obtained. Once the curiosity starts, the collector is now fully hooked and is on his or her way to a fascinating journey into gaming history.

There have been gaming counters of some sort as long as there has been gambling. Poker chips made of bone, mother-of-pearl, and ivory are highly collectible. These chips date back to the mid to late 1800’s. Actual casino chips, or cheques, can be attributed to a specific establishment or in the case of a few, establishments.

Casinos enjoyed steady growth with the legalization of gambling in 1931. The early casinos were tiny compared to the mega-resorts today. One or two table games, sometimes located in the back of a restaurant, were common. This also meant the number of available chips was limited. A dollar was worth more then than now and the chances of someone not cashing in their chips were pretty remote, unless he or she happened to be wealthy. The low denomination chips were used heavily and are typically quite worn when found. On the other hand, high denomination chips were not used as frequently and they can be found in much better condition, if they can be found! As casinos closed or changed owners, the chips on hand were typically destroyed or cancelled by various means. This makes finding older chips more difficult and the prices they command can be quite high. A $5 Hacienda that was found at a yard sale was sold at auction for $15,100. In early 2004, a Sands Hotel $5 Casino Chip, like the one shown, was sold at auction for over $33,000. This chip was previously unknown and the transaction currently holds the record for a documented amount paid for a chip.

There are a wide variety of chip types, with the most common being the clay composite. Even within this type, there are basic elements that differentiate the chips and result in some being scarcer than others. The mold is the design around the edge of the chip. This aids in dating the chip and identifying the manufacturer. The edge spots or inserts help to quickly identify the denomination and deter theft. The inlay, which can vary in size and shape, may contain the casino logo, denomination, and other designs.

The fun part of casino chip collecting is the number of different ways people choose to focus their efforts. Collections have been broken up by denomination, geography, obsoletes, specific casinos, etc. Some of the best collections I have seen focused on the type of chip, for example crest and seals. These are some of the most elegant and striking chips known.

What a person chooses to collect is dictated by interest and budget. Some collectors will find themselves in acquisition frenzy while others will patiently wait for that special chip to become available. The number of collectors has grown significantly over the last few years with the help of online auctions and the deluge of Limited Edition chips that are put out by casinos to commemorate a variety of events ranging from the Super Bowl to concerts to, of all things, Tax Day.

In 1988, many like-minded individuals created the Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collectors Club, Inc. This international organization has over 6000 members on the rolls with over 3000 currently active. Each year the members gather for their annual convention. This is a chance for collectors, dealers, and traders from all across the country and the world to meet to exchange ideas, renew old friendships and make new ones and of course talk chips! This year the Convention will be held at the Riviera in Las Vegas.

For more information about the club, please visit our website http://www.oldvegaschips.com/ccgtcc.htm

There are also several local groups of collectors. The Ohio Valley Casino Collectibles Club and the Deep South Chip Collectors Club are examples of geographically based clubs. Some are “type” clubs, such the Silver Striker’s Club and the Illegal Chip Collectors Club. These groups host their own events and swap meets, providing new and experienced collectors opportunities to expand their collections and gain more knowledge of the hobby.

A perfect example of collecting diversity meets every Monday for lunch to talk chips and make trades. One collector deals mainly with Southern Indiana illegals and chips from the Frontier. Another focuses on chips from Lake Tahoe while another seeks out chips that have a person’s name on the inlay of the chip. Unidentified or UFCs are a favorite of one gentleman while another brings in binders of non-Vegas and other U.S. chips. Lastly, one of the founding members of the International Club joins in with boxes and binders full of chips that most other collectors will rarely see, let alone hold in his or her hand. Every Monday is a history lesson in gaming from early Nevada to the notorious Northern Kentucky clubs.

While learning and acquiring are fun aspects of casino chip collecting, the most rewarding is finding something that was previously unknown. Discovering something new can be very exciting. There are over 21,000 different documented chips from Nevada casinos. The state has been home to hundreds of casinos over the years and no one knows all of the chips issued. New chips turn up often; there may be one in your grandfather’s old shoe box right now.

The collection can be what you want, large or small, common or scarce, land based or riverboats, the possibilities are endless. Ask relatives if they have anything hidden away, visit estate and yard sales, and come join the fun.

Article courtesy of Jeff “Mr. Chipper” Buckner - one of the most talented writers I know. A Short History Of Poker Chips In The U.S. The game of poker began in the middle 1800’s in bars, saloons and on riverboats in the mid-west and western United States. The word “poker” was derived from the French game, “Poque” and the British game, “Brag.”

Coins, gold dust and gold nuggets were used as the monetary units in early poker games. Soon thereafter, chips replaced coins and gold particles, as they were easier to manage. Chips were made from ivory, bone, wood, paper and a composition made from clay and shellac.

The problem with these plain surface chips, is that shady characters could sneak their own chips into the game. Often, the establishment would end the game with many more chips than they began.

To counteract the “ringing in” of chips, manufacturers began to include a design to differentiate them from others. The design could be engraved, embossed, inlaid or a paste-on sticker. Ivory chips were hand scrimshawed with numerals, initials, flowers, animals and just about any type of design. The ivory chips were made to order so that each customer would have a set unlike any other set. Sometimes, there were only minor differences between sets, but they would not be the same.

Clay composition poker chips were made by several companies between the 1880’s and the late 1930’s. There were over 1000 designs from which to choose. Most chips were white, red, blue and yellow but they could be made in most any color desired.

The most expensive clay composition poker chips were made by the U.S. Playing Card co. in Cincinnati, OH, 1907-1939. These were “Crest & Seal” chips, which were composed of a circular lithograph, embedded into the clay, with a “Seal” of a polyurethane type liquid, over the entire surface. The Burt Co., in Portland, ME began making these Crest & Seal chips circa 1940 and continued until they closed about 1985.

Plastics became the material of choice for less expensive home poker sets in the 1940’s, and continue to be popular today. They are injection molded, long lasting, come in many designs and are easily obtained. However, they do not have the “feel” or the quality of the pre-1940’s chips. The best quality chips that are made currently are the ones made for casinos and poker rooms, either clay composition or injection molded chips.

Please visit http://www.oldvegaschips.com for more info

Information for this article came from “Antique Gambling Chips, Revised Edition” by Dale Seymour.
Thanks also to Allan Myers, whose expertise and help I could not have done without on this article.

How to Clean Chips
Use a very soft bristled toothbrush.
Let experts clean very old or expensive chips.
A pencil eraser is good for removing scuffs and crud from old chips.
These cleaners have been reported to have good results cleaning chips: mild dishwashing detergent, Armor All Multi-Purpose Cleaner, Quick'n'Brite, Sterling Magic.
The trick seems to be to find something that will dissolve the greasy deposits that accumulate on well used chips, without removing any ink, or leeching moisture from the chip. Quick'n'Brite is a thick paste, and does not seem to encourage any moisture transfer, while doing an excellent job of breaking down the greasy gunk. I just stick the chip in the bucket edgewise, rotate it a few time to coat the chip thoroughly, wait about 15-30 seconds, then wipe the chip down with a washcloth. It's revolting how dirty that washcloth gets after only a few chips.
I use Sterling Magic full strength with a toothbrush. I use no water and just wipe clean with a cloth. It has never, never, ever dried the chip out or caused it to fade. If the chip has a hot stamp, I don't use the toothbrush on that part, I just dab a little on with my finger and gently wipe it off with the cloth.
I clean virtually all of my chips except those that come straight from the cage and have never seen play. I have also experienced no fading or drying out. The pink goop (Sterling Magic) is great stuff. I've been using Armor All Multi-Purpose Cleaning with fantastic results for the past year, no damage to chip, luster and shine are still there...and it cleans the chip. Don't use any other Armor All product i.e., tire cleaner, window, bug, etc.
Waterless hand cleaner, non abrasive, with lanolin and a bath of Johnson baby oil will restore the luster. Give it a bath of oil, let soak for an hour or so on a bath towel turn once after a while wipe dry. Regular mineral oil is too oily
I use a soft toothbrush & Fantastik. I spray both sides of the chip & clean the dirt off with the toothbrush & then rinse under warm water. I dry the chip with a paper towel. I then use a VERY small amount of mineral oil (which brings out the true colors of the chip which may have been lost over time or due to cleaning) rubbed between two fingers & work it into the chip. That entire process should not take more than a minute. I'll then let the chip dry for 24 hours on one side & turn it over & let dry for another 24 hours before storing the chip.
I used a soft children's tooth brush and window cleaner. Hot stamps will turn from gold to silver, so they get covered with my thumb and I only clean the mold designs. Chipco, Paulson graphics BJ and others of like design are much more durable.
I don't clean many of my chips, but when I do I use Amway's L.O.C. (Liquid Organic Cleaner and a baby's tooth brush (much softer than a regular soft toothbrush.) I put a few drops of L.O.C. on the chip and brush very lightly. I so this to remove the surface dirt. If the chip is extremely dirty I generally leave it alone. It sometimes looks better dirty.
Try Johnson & Johnson baby gel instead of oils to restore the luster. I've been told this by a noted chip collector and restorer. Crest and seals - Clean with a 3M scouring pad or wet/dry sandpaper. Then bring back coloring with Johnson & Johnson Baby Gel. (Note: the 3M scouring pad is non-abrasive, it is sold for cleaning dishes.)

Before & After Using Sterling Magic!
How NOT to Clean Chips
Don't clean the hot stamp with a toothbrush, only gently rub the cleaner in with your fingers.
Never use anything abrasive to clean your chips.
Don't use steam to clean clay chips, the steam will heat the chip until it softens and will warp.
I did ruin a batch of old clays once by putting them in the washing machine with bleach and Tide, it messed them up pretty bad and was very loud to boot.
I find tying them up in an old T-shirt and running them through the washing machine cycle usually does the trick. However, for that really tough grime that gets lodged down in the bottom of the cane in the hat&cane or the crevices in a small key mold, there's really nothing like a good stiff wire brush and some elbow grease. A little Vaseline to bring out the colors when you're done, and Viola! (This is meant as a joke.)
Do not clean a hot stamped chip with a toothbrush, instead gently rub with your fingers
I have had very good luck with Sterling's Magic cleaner. However, when I cleaned some old Mint roulettes (this is the series with the small crown mold and a round white inlay) I ended up removing a thin clear plastic cap that covers the inlay.
Once I was cleaning (I think a Diamond Jim) inlay chip with what I usually use -- dove hand soap bar, toothbrush pared down and warm water, and water got under and discolored the inlay. I think it must have happened because the inlay was weak/lifting some/damaged.
Once I really screwed up. I had a lot of dried out, faded embossed style poker chips (maybe the Golfer wearing knickers) I often rub chips like these with sewing machine oil (or mineral oil, or Vitamin E liquid). I'd apply the oil and rub it off right away with a paper towel.....But this time I left all the chips in a pot on mineral oil overnight, and in the morning a found them practically ruined. As I remember, the main problem was that rings and crescents were left on the chips where one chip rested on another.


The Credit for this very informative section goes to Charles Kaplan, and quite a few other fellow chip collectors.