Paulson Clay Poker Chip by Trademark Review

Manufacturer: Paulson
Retailer(s): 5star, ebay and others
Average Price: MSRP $1.25
Material: Clay
Cooperative Member Review by: vai777 and jojobinks

Vai777: I was one of the first to receive the new Paulson chips made with the new mold. The chips arrived quickly although one of the denominations I ordered was missing and replaced with red $5 chips instead.

Jojo: I ordered these chips because I have a have a chip illness and because I needed to see the mold close up and in person. I’m not disappointed. These chips are beauts (with two very obvious exceptions) and excluding the looks of those two exceptions these are amongst the very best clay chips on the home market. ​

Price

Jojo: Prices range from $489 for a 500 chip set at discountcasinogear.com to $670 for 500 at 5star (before discount). At about $1 per chip, these are right in the range of the 2005 JB’s. ​

Feel

Vai777: The texture is excellent, much better then the 2005 James Bonds, mostly due to the enlarged area of texture. The new Trademarks seem to have a little more of a fine linen like texture than the 2005 JB's, similar but not exactly like the 2001 Bonds. The texture is a nice feature but I wish the inlay was also textured. It is completely smooth, the only smooth area on the face of the chip. It feels like they seem easier to shuffle out of the box than the 2005 James Bonds. The Trademark Paulsons are definitely heavier than the 2005 James Bonds even if only slightly.

Jojo: I agree with Vai777 about the texture. These have more texture because of the extended mold area, where Paulson filled in the weird blank space that the 2005 JB’s had. And yes, the inlay is still smooth, which is sub-optimal. I also agree that these chips are noticeably more heavy than the JB’s, which I didn’t expect, but was pleased with. They feel great, the closest thing in the home market to a casino chip.
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Stacking

Vai777: They stack like the 2005 James Bonds and there were no spinners to report in the batch. After the spinner Nevada Jacks I've had I think I would have gone crazy if there were any Paulson chips that spun.

Jojo: No surprise on the spinner issue, as these are Paulsons. These stack like champs, although there is talk that some denominations are slightly less thick than others. I have only 14 of these chips, so I can’t really speak to that issue. But you can read about it here. ​

Sound

Jojo: Well, they sound like Paulsons. In other words, they sound exactly like clay chips from a casino. Not to belabor the point, but that’s because they are very high quality clay chips. This is the sound you’re looking for in a clay chip. It’s often described as a clack. Metal slugged chips clank. Ceramic has and cheaper clays have a clicking sound. These definitely clack. It’s a lower sound, and is recognizably different. ​

Looks

Vai777: Looks wise the new mold is great. The pictures on Trademark/5stadeal.com were very poor compared to seeing the chips up close. I personally love the colored inlays as I feel each chip stands out a little more.

Of the 1000 chips only 1 had an off center inlay. There were a few that had the printing a little of center. The Pharaoh’s Club Paulsons should look excellent with this mold. No one will want the James Bond mold once they have felt this one its not even close in that department.

Jojo: The mold is fine, although disappointing. It appears to be identical to the 2005 JB mold, except they filled in the blank space surrounding the inlay. As has been discussed to death in threads you can see here (starting May 17th) and here and here, many would have preferred concentric circles, to help frame the inlay and bring some balance to the chip. Much like the JB’s, however, these chips are really just too nice to worry about the mold for too long.

The color scheme is the same as the JB’s, of course. Paulson is refusing to do any different color scheme for home use. My favorite chips are the blue and the red, in either set. For the inlays, Trademark went with a different background color for each one, and matched it to an edge spot color. This worked out very well for the $5, $10, $25, $100, and $500 chips, which all matched the inlay to a calm color. The $1 and the $1000 inlay are disasters, though, in my opinion. They’re a hot orange color that, well, just isn’t very appealing. ​

Security/Originality

Jojo: These suffer from the problem that most chips available on the market have in this department. They can be readily purchased from several different sites. So on the one hand, they aren’t dice chips, which any schmoe in town might have at home and try to sneak in. On the other, they aren’t homepokerchips.com customs that have your dog’s picture on them.​

Durability

Jojo: These are Paulson chips, let me remind you. They are of the highest quality, and should last your lifetime. That being said, clays wear. I’ve heard they last 5-6 years in casinos. If you have a weekly home game, I guess that means these should last a couple of hundred years. ​

Reviewers Comments

Vai777: Anyway hope this helps/comforts anyone who has doubts about the new mold and if its up to par. It is, and other than the old Bond chips I've had these chips rank at the top of the list. If they had textured inlays the only thing the old Bonds would have over this chip is the classic hat and cane mold with out the PAULSON CHIPS but hey I'll take these at .95 a chip vs $2 a chip for the old ones any day.


Jojo: These are great chips. I’d recommend them if you need a set that doesn’t include $1s or $1000s and you were looking to spend $1 per. I prefer them by far to TR Kings and ASMs, if you’re thinking of clay chips. The only way I’d ever go anywhere but Paulson for clay is if I felt that customization was crucial.​

Chip Pictures

Thanks to mrticsay for the photos


first row: JB's. second row, trademark unoiled. third row, trademark oiled.

you can see the thickness issue on the greens here
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