[Gaming Ore]

In the chip collecting community, long-time collector (and manufacturing community knowligible) Mr. Gene Trimble has coined the term "floor sweepings". (Actually, he uses the term "floor sweepers" or just "sweepers" but I prefer Floor Sweepings, (its one of those verb/noun things for me.))

However, the basis behind the term is that a chip manufacturer, like any other light industrial manufacturing facility has labor force of individuals whose job performance is measured in quantity of items produced hourly or daily. Rejects are simply tossed to the side. Additionally, the process of chip manufacturing is such that between orders, certain re-tooling must be done. In that change-over, certain product and/or materials from one run can get mixed in with the product and/or materials from the next run and the hybrids or rejects are just tossed away.

As with any shop, it is necessary to keep the place somewhat clean and clutter free and it is that cleaning process that the term floor sweepings is dervived. In short, all the rejects and non-deliverable chips, tossed to the side earlier in the day are swept up in the process to keep the area clean. From there these dustpan collections are tossed in the trash can and put out on the curb or in some otherway sent of to the local landfill.

Well, sometimes they don't make it to the landfill and sometimes end up in the collecting community. This same thing can happen with "experimental" runs and also proto-type productions. And sometimes, the work force (perhaps on a slow day) plays around and makes something on their own, or even produces a personal set on their own when management is not looking, or even for middle-level management.

The point is, as much as we may want a chip manufacturer to be regulated and managed in their output (like the US Mint) it would appear that there is plenty of anomalies out there to prove otherwise.

Case in point is this chip, or floor sweeping. Although I'll explain the peculiarities of this chip later, for the time being (and in the interest of CT'er participation) I like for others to make comments about origin, purpose, peculiarities, etc.



I'll see if I can produce a better scan, as this photo was washed out by the flash. However, this chip is 39mm. The center has no inlay, but the waffle pattern is what some call a textured surface and others call a herring-bone, cross-hatching surface. This is a "Golden Nugget" house mold and it is denominated as: "$100".

Whay say ye?

Jim (Gaming Ore) Follis

[hachkc]

In my totally non-chip collecting, laymans view, I see a WHITE $100 chip for what I presume is a Vegas casino. Is their a Golden Nugget in Cali by chance?

[OnTheButton]

Actually now that I look at it, it looks more like an actual mold cast, maybe it was the "cast" was initially made to create the final metal mold stamp from, since the letters are raised, instead of debossed.

I remember back in metal shop in high school, we would make our "cast" out of a softer material, pack it in sand as hard as we could and then when you pour the hot metal onto your "mold" it melts (burns off) your cast and makes a metal version of whatever you carved out of.

That's my guess. It is a mold die "cast" for the GN $100 house chip.

[hachkc]

Originally Posted by OnTheButton

Actually now that I look at it, it looks more like an actual mold cast, maybe it was the "cast" was initially made to create the final metal mold stamp from, since the letters are raised, instead of debossed.

I wondered about that also but wondered if it was simply an illusion because of the lighting or something. I've seen that affect before on other pictures.

[Gaming Ore]

Originally Posted by OnTheButton

Actually now that I look at it, it looks more like an actual mold cast, maybe it was the "cast" was initially made to create the final metal mold stamp from, since the letters are raised, instead of debossed.

Optical illusion! This is a clay composition chip. G. O.

[mizuchaud]

Someone used the 100 mold by mistake on a dollar chip run instead of the 1.00 mold.
No idea about the crosshatching though.

[OnTheButton]

Originally Posted by Gaming Ore

Optical illusion! This is a clay composition chip. G. O.

Then I believe it to be a "test chip" possibly white clay-comp is cheap, easy to see flaws against and they created that chip to test the mold before actually making multi-spotted inlayed chips with it.

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by OnTheButton

Then I believe it to be a "test chip" possibly white clay-comp is cheap, easy to see flaws against and they created that chip to test the mold before actually making multi-spotted inlayed chips with it.

Agree - seems the most logical.

[on tilt]

I'm with OTB on this one

Originally Posted by OnTheButton

Then I believe it to be a "test chip" possibly white clay-comp is cheap, easy to see flaws against and they created that chip to test the mold before actually making multi-spotted inlayed chips with it.

[Trojan man]

The three lines of different colored material running through the recessed area of the chip. (Two lines with a smaller discoloratioon on the right side the recessed area.) This makes me lean towards a reject or floor sweeping.

Since the chip appears to have been edged, I now don't believe it is a floor sweeping.

The fact it doesn't have an inlay is puzzling. The inlay couldn't have been taken off because it would have destroyed the chip. Because of this I am going to go with some of the previous posts saying it is a test chip to prove out the mold design for the casino.