Casino Chip Collectors Value

• Casino Chip Collector Board
• Casino Chip Collectors
• Collectible Casino Chip Values
• Casino Chip Collection Value

I live in the Detroit area and know a dude who runs estate sales out in the 'well-to-do' suburbs all the time. Very often these become estate auctions, and I've gotten some incredible bargains.

1. At Chipper Club you will find a passion for collecting casing chips. Casino chips come in many different formats. Each casino has their own custom-designed chip with a monetary value and casino name on the chip. Chips are color coded based on the basic values of chips of $1, $5, $10, $25, and up with variations for games like blackjack.
2. Grand Casino 1994. Limited Edition Collector's Series. $10 Gaming Token. Mill City, Nevada. Seven Dollar Reedemable Cash Value.
3. Obsolete & current chips available in every denomination from casinos worldwide: house chips, limited editions, illegals, roulette, tournament and no-cash-values. We have something for everyone no matter if you are just starting out or a seasoned collector.
4. I have a small collection of casino tokens.many with the silver insert in the clay chip. A couple like the above example, though they are more current. At the time, I was collecting the chips from the old casino's in Vegas.I just looked at them the other day when searching for something else.

Today (12-Sep-12015), there is an estate sale, and it will be an auction tomorrow. Up for bidding is :
'Vintage Vegas Casino poker chip collection including approximately 250 poker Casino gambling chips from closed and current casinos ranging from $.50 to $100 chips'
http://www.estatesale.com/sales/view/60018.html#gal

Re: 10 Cent Mac's Reno, NV casino chip These are all SOLD - Thank You Buyer California chips Re: California chips California Chips Re: California Chips $1 each plus shipping Re: $1 each plus shipping Re: $1 each plus shipping $1 Bonanza (Don French’s) LV (N1373) better chips. make reasonable offer Re: better chips. make reasonable offer.

Are these 'collectibles' typically worth the face value, or less or more?

Are these 'collectibles' typically worth the face value, or less or more?

Less than face value.
Once, while travelling, I found a casino that had changed their chips out (and their name) - the old chips were no longer negotiable. They were selling off boxes of low denomination chips (60x $5, 20x $1 - $340 face value) for $10 - about 3% of face value.
IMO, the frames are worth more than the chips, and I wouldn't pay more than $10 a frame. The bare chips are maybe worth another $20.
If you should happen to find a negotiable chip in the mix, this raises its value significantly. If you happen to have a buyer lined up, this too raises the value. This is reasonably cool man cave decor.
Don't expect to make a killing on these.

I live in the Detroit area and know a dude who runs estate sales out in the 'well-to-do' suburbs all the time. Very often these become estate auctions, and I've gotten some incredible bargains.
Today (12-Sep-12015), there is an estate sale, a nd it will be an auction tomorrow. Up for bidding is :
'Vintage Vegas Casino poker chip collection including approximately 250 poker Casino gambling chips from closed and current casinos ranging from $.50 to $100 chips'
http://www.estatesale.com/sales/view/60018.html#gal
Are these 'collectibles' typically worth the face value, or less or more?

I swore off sports memorabilia collecting. I have tons of it in storage. However I do like that pin set.
But I'm interested in casino stuff (not chip's, boring unless you can turn a quick profit)
People are probably going to grab the known sports memorabilia.
Can you get me the Korr's 6 pack? I'll pay up to $60.
That Al Jolson a light up promo sign? I'm interested, I have no clue what is worth but i'm thinking most people may avoid it. The right person would love that.
You might want to research the slot machines and see if there's some value.
I'm interested in some of the casino and Sinatra stuff. Ill work something out with you. PM me.

handmade duck collectibles----- these can be worth a lot and may go for real cheap,guy I worked with carved these in his spare time and was amazing good at it...... some sold for $600 each way back in the 90s
picture 110 the bottle on the left would be nice to have..... contents and vanilla ice cream oh the memories

Detroit is a great place for carpetbaggers right now... I'm getting some stuff for a penny on the dollar. These auctions sometimes let you buy a whole ROOM for like $30... these rooms are often in RICH homes, no shit... imagine going through someone's house and paying $30 for EVERYTHING in a room.
I'm leaving right now, if anyone wants me to make some bids for 'em, call me at 734-469-6308 in the next couple of hours or so, or contact Rick Behar (my pal who runs these sales) at the web site.
There is some AWESOME Vegas stuff here, the Rat-Pack stuff and all. I never got a clear answer about the old chips, but I think I'm willing go pay like maybe up to 20% of face value.. THANKS FOR THE FEEDBACK, EVERYONE!!! MartyF.Y.I., the chips in the frames were about 5x face value.. way too much in my opinion, but I didn't really look what was there. That black artwork of Vegas history was going for $1,400 and some guy was questioning if Sammy Davis Jr.'s signature was authenticated.
That newer slot sold for $500. I bought that older slot machine for $252, but I can't get it to work yet... I think it needs some more dimes to prime the payout chamber.
It looks great, and it weighs a TON. it is an Imperial Crown, built by 'Pacific Manufacturing, L.L.C.' of Japan, I'm guessing around 1960 or so. I only found one Google photo of it and no information, like a MANUAL or specification. I can't find any more info about it yet, but I'm looking...That looked like an exceptional sale. EB, did you get in on any of the Sinatra stuff?
Sounds like your friend is doing something right, to get 5x face value, though I can't claim any expertise on chip collecting.
Out of all of it, the only thing I really craved was that huge Sinatra CD compilation. Did you notice what that went for?

That looked like an exceptional sale. EB, did you get in on any of the Sinatra stuff?
Sounds like your friend is doing something right, to get 5x face value, though I can't claim any expertise on chip collecting.

My friend runs the auctions, he works with the home owner to set the prices and he just gets a straight commission on everything sold, like 10%. Apparently, the owner was big-time into Vegas and sports, and had enough money to buy all the memorabilia he wanted... I think those chip collections were custom done by the owner himself and that's why the prices seem high. Actually, everything was a bit pricey at this sale, but tomorrow should be better bargains.

Casino Chip Collector Board

But, like I was saying to coilman, there are a LOT of estate sales going on right now around here... who can afford health care? SERIOUSLY! This kind of thing is going to be common place VERY soon the way our economy is heading, and the way the medical profession has enslaved us all.

Out of all of it, the only thing I really craved was that huge Sinatra CD compilation. Did you notice what that went for?

I didn't take note, but the sale isn't over until tomorrow, and at that time they may take bids at lower prices just to clear the floor.

When I took the plunge, and decided to hit the tournament circuit a few years back, I was like every other poker player who thought they had what it takes.

I put in my time studying online, and I patiently applied those skills in the live setting, all while hoping to catch that elusive “good run” at the right time. And at the risk of tooting my own horn, I did better than the average amateur turned aspiring poker pro. Made a few final tables, pocketed decent prize money, and even had a chance to win a World Series of Poker Circuit ring before losing a long, heads-up match.

Alas, it was not meant to be in the end. I discovered that what truly separates the pros from the rest of us isn’t knowledge of the game, but dedication to the grind. I just didn’t have it in me, and after a year or so spent traveling from casino to casino, I tucked my tail and returned to the “real world.”

And when I did, I realized that I’d acquired a new hobby along the way – collecting casino chips.

I’m not talking about the chips I tried to win at the tournament tables, as taking those home is a crime punishable by property-wide bans if caught. No, I began pocketing the standard casino chips used at in cash poker or in table games like blackjack and craps.

Whenever I entered a casino for the first time, I wound up playing cash game poker or hitting the table game pit, and invariably I’d keep a single $1 chip as my own before leaving town. At first, I was simply seeking a memento from the new experience. Eventually, though, I realized that every casino used slightly different, and singularly unique, chip designs.

And from there, I was hooked.

These chips are yours once you purchase them from the cashier’s cage – or better yet, win them – at the tables. Indeed, casinos are more than happy to let you take home chips as a souvenir. The house has already collected cash in exchange, and with the chip safely stashed away in your shoebox somewhere, they never have to settle up.

Based on an inventory of my burgeoning chip collection, I’ve visited at least 60 casinos during my travels. Those include megaresorts like the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip to a dusty little cardroom called Bucky’s in Prescott, Arizona. A few of my chips aren’t even issued by a proper casino, as most of the “underground” card clubs and private games etch their branding on a stock chip.

In any event, this collection provides me with a window back in time, and a tangible connection to my many poker memories. One look at any of them instantly reminds me of a place and time – a smoky room at Harrah’s Cherokee casino in North Carolina, a huge bad beat jackpot hit at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, or a bachelor party at Atlantic City’s crown jewel, the Borgata.

In light of the enjoyment I’ve found collecting chips, I’d like to introduce readers to this fun new hobby. I’ll begin with a basic rundown of my approach to collecting, before providing you with a few handy tips to make the most of your casino chips.

Red, White, and Blue

The first aspect of your collecting style to decide on concerns the denomination of each chip.

Every casino uses a standard system of chip denominations, beginning with the $1 unit. These “singles” are almost always colored in white or blue shades, and they’re obviously the cheapest way to get in the game.

Chips also come in $5 units, and these are invariably colored red. Beyond that, you may find $10 chips at a few casinos, especially in the poker room, but these aren’t always available. And moving up the ladder, you’ll find $25 chips (usually green), and $100 chips (usually black) to play with.

Personally, I collect the humble $1 chips purely as a cost-cutting mechanism. Remember, you’ll need to pay the cash equivalent to obtain a chip from the cashier’s cage – and the money spent essentially becomes a sunk cost. In other words, once you part ways with cash in exchange for a collectable chip, you won’t be seeing those funds again.

Sticking to the $1 chips keeps my accounting simple and easy too. When I count my casino chip stash and see 60 of them, I know I’ve spent just $60 on a hobby that has spanned several years. Moving up to $5 chips multiplies the cost of collecting in kind, and I’m just not sure I’d enjoy spending $300 on the same hobby.

Deciding which chip denomination to base your collection around is a matter of personal preference, and depending on your financial situation, you may prefer to up the ante with $5 or $25 chips.

Many casinos even appeal to the collectors out there with specially themed $1 chip designs. You’ll find chips commemorating the holiday season, the venue’s headlining show, or a casino’s 20-year anniversary in business.

For the most part, these specially designed chips are limited to the $1 denomination, while $5 chips and up stick to a stock design. I enjoy grabbing a handful of white or blue $1 chips and examining their various themed designs, before selecting the one which speaks to me most.

Set the Ground Rules

This aspect of chip collecting is purely optional, but I find it offers a bit of structure to the whole thing.

Basically, my ground rules for adding a new chip to the collection revolve around actual play. Simply stepping foot inside a new casino isn’t enough to warrant adding that venue’s chip to my collection. Instead, I must place at least one wager somewhere on the floor to make it “count.”

Originally, I began collecting chips from any casino where I played poker, but that constraint proved to be more trouble than it was worth. I realized many casinos don’t even offer a poker room, and in the case of Las Vegas mainstays like Monte Carlo, the Luxor, and Hard Rock, venues have closed their poker rooms down in recent years.

With this in mind, I expanded my ground rules to include any sort of bet. Typically, if the place is a poker-free zone, I’ll hit the blackjack tables and try to grind out a winning session. I also dabble in craps and roulette when I’m in the mood for pure gambling. In any case, I always make sure to get change for a $5 chip, before keeping two $1 chips (the cleanest of the bunch) off to the side.

If the session goes poorly and I lose my stake, I have two $1 chips left in hand – one to toke the dealer with, and one to bring home with me.

Depending on the situation, however, I’ve been known to slap a $10 bill down on the roulette table felt and bet $9 on single number wagers. If lady luck smiles on me that day, I hit the buffet with my $30 or so in profit. And if she’s not in the mood, I still have a lone $1 chip to pocket and polish later on.

Keep ‘Em Clean

Why would I polish my casino chips, you ask?

In a 2009 op-ed penned for PokerNews, tournament reporter and author Paul McGuire posed a simple question: can touching poker chips make you sick?

McGuire had a good reason to ask too. As a roving tournament blogger, assigned to interact with poker players for 14 hours per day during the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, he was on the front lines of poker’s germ warfare.

Within the op-ed, McGuire asked his local physician, Dr. Charles Stillman, whether exposure to poker chips might increase his odds of contracting an illness.

Casino Chip Collectors

“You can get sick from poker chips. It’s actually been studied across multiple casinos.

The most common infection is Staph (Staphylococcus aureus). The real scary one is MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) because it’s just that — resistant to the main antibiotic used to treat it.”

One of the studies Dr. Stillman mentioned was conducted in 2007 by biologist Brian Hedlund and his research team at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV). Commissioned by Bluff magazine, Dr. Hedlund’s study involved analyzing chips obtained from five casinos on The Strip.

According to Hedlund’s findings, a single casino chip is home to thousands of microorganisms, including the staph and MRSA germs.

Now, before you abandon the idea of collecting casino chips altogether, you should realize thousands of germs aren’t all that much of a threat. At this very moment, your own hands carry more microorganisms than the average casino chip.

As both doctors mentioned, the usual accumulation of germs found on a casino chip isn’t nearly enough to compromise a healthy person’s immune system. Unless you suffer from immunodeficiency issues of some sort, handling casino chips is perfectly safe.

Even so, I always take care to wash my hands after sourcing my latest chip. I’m not talking about a deep scrub with Purell or some other antiseptic, just a simple wash with hot water and soap. It’s better to be safe than sorry, after all.

Collectible Casino Chip Values

And when I get my chips home for the first time, I also apply a splash of rubbing alcohol with a wet cloth to finish the cleaning process. I do this to remove the last traces of germs, first and foremost, which are evident in the black smudges that often pile up in the contours of a chip.

But even if the chip was scanned with a microscope and found to be germ-free, I’d still give it a good wipe down before adding it to my display, simply to add an element of shine. Casino chips are used and abused during their time on the tables, and a little bit of elbow grease goes a long way in restoring their natural luster.

Just be careful when cleaning chips affixed with logo stickers. Major casinos usually opt for laser etching or some form of permanent printing, but smaller operations often opt for stock chips and a simple sticker instead. If that’s the case, go as light as you can with the cleaning and avoid directly contacting the sticker with water or rubbing alcohol.

Show Your Stuff

At this point you have a pile of casino chips, and clean ones at that, spread out or stacked on your desk somewhere. Where should they go next?

That’s another matter of personal preference, but for my money, the best bet is a display case frame that can be hung from your wall.

You can check out the eBay page for “casino chip display” to get a better idea of what I mean. As you can see, these chip display cases come in all shapes and sizes, but most use a simple square design with circular cutouts where your chips go.

Once you have enough chips to fill about half of the display – the typical frame holds about 100 of them – feel free to insert them and hang the thing already. Chip collecting isn’t a completist hobby by any stretch of the imagination, so you don’t need every space in the frame to be occupied before putting it on display. And indeed, seeing those empty spaces staring back at you provides a certain sense of motivation to keep adding new chips as time goes by.

For my own chip collection, I try to arrange them based on geography. All of my chips from the Las Vegas Strip are grouped together, while those from Downtown / Fremont Street have their own row. The “Off-Strip” joints like South Point and Gold Coast get their own group, as do other regions like Atlantic City and Los Angeles.

Any chips obtained from an underground card club or private game get their own row as well.

And as an Arizonan, I devote a separate section in the display to my hometown casinos.

Casino Chip Collection Value

That’s just my personal approach to laying out the chips, and I’m sure you’ll come up with a pattern or design that fits your personality. That’s all part of the fun that comes with collecting.

To help you find some inspiration on that front, take a look at a few of the more well-designed casino chip displays floating around out there today.

Blast from the Past

One of the more interesting aspects of casino chip collecting is the sheer scope of variety you’ll find.

Per the latest statistics compiled by the American Gaming Association (AGA), the United States is home to 510 commercial casinos. Just 10 years ago, however, that number stood at 455 – meaning 55 new casinos have opened up in the last decade alone.

And those’re just the commercial casinos, mind you. When you add another 470 tribal casinos operated on Native American reservations, you’ll find nearly 1,000 venues on the map – and that’s just the American market. When the international casino industry is factored into the equation, collectors literally have thousands of options to choose from.

The old Dunes on The Strip was imploded in 1994, replaced by the extravagant Bellagio. The Sands gave way to the Venetian, the Hacienda became Mandalay Bay, and the Aladdin was transformed into Planet Hollywood.

While the buildings may be gone by now, these old casinos once had millions of visitors streaming through the doors each year. And when those guests headed home, casino chips invariably traveled from Sin City all over the world.

Today, a thriving market for historical casino chips can be found online, where collectors look to find their own personal Holy Grail. Maybe it’s the casino your parents spent their honeymoon at, or the old card room where you once cut your teeth learning the game. Whatever the case may be, plenty of collectors out there specialize in sourcing hard to find historical chips.

As you can see by perusing the eBay page for “old Vegas chips”, historical casino chips run the gamut in terms of price, appearance, condition, and even their use.

For just $5, you can purchase an old “steak chip” issued by the Golden Nugget way back when. Emblazoned on the chip is a message reading “please present to line cook,” and I assume these were handed out to friendly faces by floormen. With a steak chip in hand, a lucky player could sit down at the Golden Nugget restaurant, flick their token to the line cook, and enjoy a juicy steak dinner free of charge.

While I don’t collect historical chips myself – not yet anyhow – I can certainly appreciate the sentimental value these old tokens hold. Little stories from the golden era of casino gambling, like the steak chip and so many others, are gradually being lost as the older venues are imploded. With a casino chip that may be 50 years old in your collection, you’ll always have a link to those stories close at hand.

Keep Clear of Collecting Catastrophe

So far, I’ve focused on what to do as a casino chip collector, so let’s finish things off with a few words of warning.

Casinos are notorious for their tight security controls, and as the old saying goes, the “eye in the sky” is always watching. I’ve already explained that pocketing a casino chip and taking it home with you is perfectly legal, and even encouraged by the house, so why worry about cameras?

It’s all about context in this case.

If you’re playing in a cash poker game, the house rules will almost always include a provision about keeping all chips in play on the table. In poker parlance, pocketing chips while still in the game is known as “going south,” and both the floor staff and fellow players won’t be very happy if they catch you violating the rule.

Going south is prohibited for several reasons, but the main one involves game integrity. If a player just doubled their $100 stack through you, it stands to reason they should have at least $200 in play on the next hand. If they decide to go south with two of the green $25 chips, however, they’ll only have $150 in play for you to win back. That’s not exactly fair, which is why casinos frown on removing chips from a live poker game.

Now, if you’re removing a lone $1 chip from the table, nobody should give you any guff. That deduction doesn’t affect the game dynamics in any way, and indeed, players are permitted to use in-game chips to tip cocktail servers or the dealer.

Even so, I always advise new collectors coming from the poker world to exercise caution and common sense. Just wait until the game breaks and you’re racking up your stacks to snag that sweet $1 chip, and you’ll avoid any possible drama.

And for tournament players, those chips are property of the casino at all times, and removing even the smallest T25 chip can be grounds for immediate disqualification. This exact situation occurred in 2015 during a major tourney in Italy, and even though the player was simply joking with a friend, he was 86’d from the final table.

This rule holds true for table games too, although it’s not enforced in the same strict manner. When you’re playing blackjack or craps, you’ll be moving chips to and from the table quite frequently, and to be honest, the dealer, stickman, and pit boss have more important things to watch for when monitoring a table.

Once again though, it’s best to simply avoid any implication of cheating or malfeasance by keeping your chips clearly visible while still in the game.

Conclusion

Collecting casino chips can be a fun and rewarding hobby. Follow the guidelines in the basics of collecting casino chips listed above and you can quickly get started and avoid many of the potential challenges.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.