Chip books

[Oldcycles]

Ok I am kinda new to this chip thing.
I have been studying on it for a little while now and was wondering which is the best chip collecting book out?
I have run across a couple online and they are a little pricey.
If anyone can make any recommendations I would be grateful.
I know in my field of motorcycle memorabilia you cannot trust the price guides because most of the people that that put them out are swindlers.
Things in there collection are over priced and things they are looking for are under priced etc.

[PocketRocket]

Books of limited printing can get very expensive, and they often end up in the red regardless. Many publishers call these limited printings 'vanity press' because the author pays for the cost of publishing and is on the hook for recovering the cost. Historically, books about gaming have been expensive due to their perceived return value. One prime example would be Doyle Brunson's Super Systems book. When that was first published it went for $100 a copy.

Just as books regarding collectables values may not reflect the market place price, it is no different than books like The Chip Rack, where actual trading value may vary. I wouldn't necessarily call anyone a 'swindler' for that, as a matter of fact it's probably a pretty unfair statement.

Originally Posted by Oldcycles

Ok I am kinda new to this chip thing.
I have been studying on it for a little while now and was wondering which is the best chip collecting book out?
I have run across a couple online and they are a little pricey.
If anyone can make any recommendations I would be grateful.
I know in my field of motorcycle memorabilia you cannot trust the price guides because most of the people that that put them out are swindlers.
Things in there collection are over priced and things they are looking for are under priced etc.

[Oldcycles]

Originally Posted by PocketRocket

Just as books regarding collectables values may not reflect the market place price, it is no different than books like The Chip Rack, where actual trading value may vary. I wouldn't necessarily call anyone a 'swindler' for that, as a matter of fact it's probably a pretty unfair statement.

Maybe not for some fields but I was talking about motorcycle collectibles.
And yes most of them that have pricing are of dubious character and since I know them personally if feel I am allowed to say that.
I have many times thought of doing my own book since my collection is large enough and I would make it more honest.
Also having been an antique dealer for a great many years I can also say it happens in many other fields.

I use books simply as guidelines for pricing (as should everyone else) but mostly for info and photos.
It is nice you took the time to chew me out for my statement and defended the authors but I wish you also would have taken the time to recommend a book like I asked in my post.

[chipper57AA]

Another good book that is an excellent guide to collecting chips is the THe Official U.S. Casino Chip Price Guide. It was last updated in 2004 and has a ton of full color images of chips from all over the US. The focus is primarily Nevada but does include chips from several other states.

The U.S. Official Casino Chip Guide

[scottoc]

Unfortunately, Ebay has become my price guide for everything. If a book says somethings worth $100 and it sells consistantly for $10 on Ebay, it's a $10 item. The opposite also holds true.

[w16227]

The 2 I have sen are The Chip Rack ($50) and THe Official U.S. Casino Chip Price Guide ($25).


Any comments on which would be the "better" overall guide? or at least what are the strengths of each book?