[Dan808]

i'm kicking myself too. i'm near toronto, and was in vegas about 4 years ago...6 times in 1 year. never once did i think to grab a chip or two from the casinos i was in (which i'm certain was almost all of them on the strip, and freemont area).

what's the best way you collectors have found to walk out with a chip? do you buy-in, play, pocket, then cash out? i'm sure my wife wouldn't want to wait around while i play at 30 or 40 casinos...but hey, maybe...

[qheuie]

Originally Posted by Dan808

i'm kicking myself too. i'm near toronto, and was in vegas about 4 years ago...6 times in 1 year. never once did i think to grab a chip or two from the casinos i was in (which i'm certain was almost all of them on the strip, and freemont area).

what's the best way you collectors have found to walk out with a chip? do you buy-in, play, pocket, then cash out? i'm sure my wife wouldn't want to wait around while i play at 30 or 40 casinos...but hey, maybe...

i just walk up to the cage and tell them i need some collector chips. sometimes they just throw the top dirty skanky chip at me. other times they lay out all the current chip designs they have and let me pick. the fella at MGM actually went into the back room to get a brand new uncirculated chip from the order they just received. they don't really care if you leave with a chip, thay have your dollars and that's fine by them.

[CaptLego]

Originally Posted by qheuie

i just walk up to the cage and tell them i need some collector chips. sometimes they just throw the top dirty skanky chip at me. other times they lay out all the current chip designs they have and let me pick. the fella at MGM actually went into the back room to get a brand new uncirculated chip from the order they just received. they don't really care if you leave with a chip, thay have your dollars and that's fine by them.

I've had the same experiences with cage people.
Sometimes I just find a blackjack table that is not too busy and buy chips from the dealer. This is a good way to get worn and dirty chips. (I actually like having some of these samples so I can see the fate of my own chips.)

[qheuie]

Originally Posted by qheuie

i don't have any yet. i am still working on getting a website made up. i will certainly post the link here when i get it done.

here is a gallery i threw together tonight. i will eventually have a fancy schmancy lookin site to show them off, but this will do for now...

http://www.krankster.com/chipAlbum/

i don't think i have a favorite chip yet. i like them all.

little trivia: the palms chip is about 3/128" larger than the rest of the chip (that's 0.5953125 mm for metric heads). it is surprisingly noticeable.

[TenPercenter]

Originally Posted by qheuie

here is a gallery i threw together tonight. i will eventually have a fancy schmancy lookin site to show them off, but this will do for now...

http://www.krankster.com/chipAlbum/

i don't think i have a favorite chip yet. i like them all.

little trivia: the palms chip is about 3/128" larger than the rest of the chip (that's 0.5953125 mm for metric heads). it is surprisingly noticeable.

Cool. I want to get a gallery mod on this forum, it;s on my things to do.

Curious, of all the $1 chips you have. How many are white, and how many are blue? I don't care about any colors but those two.

[hunterking]

Originally Posted by CaptLego

(I actually like having some of these samples so I can see the fate of my own chips.)

yeah i just got some really old and super grimey casinos nacionales de panama paulsons, 1's and 5's, and it's amazing to put them side by side with a brand new paulson...when i get my digi cam working again i am going to do a before and after photo shoot while i play around with cleaning them up (all the h/c's and concentric circles are full of black "stuff", so this should be fun). i'll post the pics when i can...

hunterking

[qheuie]

Originally Posted by TenPercenter

Cool. I want to get a gallery mod on this forum, it;s on my things to do.

Curious, of all the $1 chips you have. How many are white, and how many are blue? I don't care about any colors but those two.

whites:
Binions
Excalibur
Luxor
Monte Carlo
New York New York
Plaza
Venetian
-----
7 total

blues:
Bellagio
Golden Nugget
MGM Grand
Mirage
Palms
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
Vineyard
-----
7 total

other colors:
you don't care

[Aust1227]

I have not gone to Vegas yet, but I have been to New Orleans and Tunica a few times in the past few months. I enjoy collecting chips. I usually keep 5 or 10 $1 chips from a session. I enjoy taking down a big pot, and slowly sorting through the pile of chips to find any "keepers".

Recently I was at the Grand Casino in Tunica, they had just opened some new boxes, so I kept 10 PERFECT $1 Paulson chips. I was at the Horshoe in that same trip, had a stack of 10 really nice chips, got involved in a pot, threw the chips in, and never saw them again! I ended up not winning another pot, and brining home 5 ugly chips.

Also at teh Grand. I found a "grand openening" $5 paulson. It was the only one of that chip I saw all trip. i kept it..

My casinos include (short i know, STOP LAUGHING)

Hard Rock Tampa (chipcos) .25, .5, 1
Derby Lanes Tampa FL (no idea) 1, 2
Harrahs New Orleans (Paulson) 5X$1
Goldstrike Tunica (no idea) 5X$1
Horshoe Tunica (Paulson) 5X$1
Grand Tunica (Paulson -MINT-) 15X$1, $5

[SpeakEasy]

Originally Posted by qheuie

i just started collecting, too. we went to vegas at the beginning of march and i dragged my fiance to 14 casinos to get $1 chips for the collection (some $5, too)

how do you all display your chips? or do you at all? right now i just have them in a rack but i would like to make a wall hanging display "plaque".

When we finished our basement, we added a custom-built home entertainment center. TV in the middle, two large cases on each side with wood-framed glass doors. My chips are currently stacked (organized by maker and by color -- Paulson reds are the largest stack) behind the left glass door. Stereo components, VCR, DVD, etc. is in the right case. Catches the eye nicely.

We also had a bar built when we finished the basement. Its great, but here's what I would add if I could start over again -- the bar top would be glass, and chips could be displayed underneath the glass. The glass would be removable/open-able to access the chips, switch out, etc. Maybe next time. I'm thinking of the wall display case mentioned above.

[SpeakEasy]

Originally Posted by X-Files

I think I will just stick with the $1 for now but I am sure I will want to add more denominations. I have never really been a collector but for some reason this has caught my attention. My wife thinks I am nuts.

If you pocket some chips from your winnings (and you should do this the first time you are up), your wife should have no complaints. The collection is built completely "on the house," in a sense. My entire collection is composed of "Keepers" from the stack when I am up, or chips that other have brought back from other places where I've never been.

I've even had some sessions in Vegas where the sole goal was to hop from casino and casino long enough to play until I'm up a bit, find some Keepers, cash out, and continue to the next casino. May sound strange to some, but its a fun way to see lots of different places and build a collection. To each his own, right?