Casino Chip Collecting

Casino chips are the currencies of casinos. While this is all they may be to tourists and even some gamers, there is a group that specialises in the archiving and trading of casino chips and these people are casino chip collectors. Casino chip collecting may seem an incredibly specialised hobby, but casino chip collectors offer a unique and niche perspective on casinos, as while they may well be interested in the games, the atmosphere and even the croupiers of a casino, they are really there for the chips.

Some may think that casino chips don't differ much, as they all usually follow the same denomination rules. However, this would be downright incorrect. Just like wine connoisseurs know their Château Yquem, vintage 1787 from their Jacob's Creek, vintage 2007, and will rightly correct anyone who doesn't, casino chip collectors offer an authoritative view on casino chips and have perhaps one of the most interesting gambling related hobbies around.

Collections

Next time you enter a casino, take a look at the chips they offer. If you see a commemorative event depicted on a chip, say the anniversary of the casino you are in, or something similar, chances are these chips were especially pressed for casino token collectors. Tourists may be interested in taking home these chips, but Marty Kaplan, co-founder of the Chequers website which promotes chip collecting, has noted that special edition chips were created not to "look pretty and bring a smile to the face of a player"; they are instead destined for the collections of casino chip enthusiasts.

So, why are people so interested in collecting casino chips? Well, they offer an incredible amount of variety, perhaps more so than any other hobby. The strictness of casino authorities such as the Nevada Gaming Commission means that certain chips will be deemed unfit for circulation, a phrase the pricks the ears of casino chip collectors everywhere. Much like other hobbies, the less something is available, the more hotly sought after and expensive it becomes.

Oddities

The most expensive casino chips are therefore the ones no longer in circulation. Casino chips from old casinos, no longer in business, tend to raise a fair price at auction, as well as casino chips that have been halted by the Nevada Gaming Commission and similar authorities. One very famous example is when the Riviera, a casino resort in Las Vegas, launched casino chips commemorating 3 porn stars. The Nevada Gaming Commission quickly pulled these chips and $5 chip sets of these rare casino tokens were soon worth over $100.

It wasn't until 1987 that fully coloured casino chips were brought into circulation, which could be attributed to the twenty year boom enthusiasts have seen within chip collecting groups. While brightly coloured and aesthetically pleasing casino chips may catch the attention of gamers now and again, the emergence of vibrant casino chips has allowed collectors to expand their collections even more, meaning they are now more likely than ever be for to be saying "so many chips, so little time!"

Conclusion

You may be wondering what's next for casino chip collectors. Well, as their numbers increase all the time, it seems likely that they will be offering even more conventions, auctions and seminars on why their hobby is so integral to the history of gaming, and rightly so. Casino chip collecting is an interest that keeps alive the spirit of old Las Vegas, as well as paying attention to new and bold ventures on the Strip, so casino chip collectors really do offer an enlightening perspective on the world of casinos.