To the gamblers they are a way of tracking wins and losses. To the casinos they are cash. To the collectors they are pieces of history and art to be archived and displayed.
Casinos enjoyed steady growth with the legalization of gambling in 1931. The early casinos were tiny compared to the mega-resorts today. One or two table games, sometimes located in the back of a restaurant, were common. This also meant the number of available chips was limited.
There have been gaming counters of some sort as long as there has been gambling. Poker chips made of bone, mother-of-pearl, and ivory are highly collectible. These chips date back to the mid to late 1800's. Actual casino chips, or cheques, can be attributed to a specific establishment or in the case of a few, establishments.
While learning and acquiring are fun aspects of casino chip collecting, the most rewarding is finding something that was previously unknown and being part of the casino community. Discovering something new can be very exciting. There are over 21,000 different documented chips from Nevada casinos. The state has been home to hundreds of casinos over the years and no one knows all of the chips issued. New chips turn up often; there may be one in your grandfather's old shoebox right now.
The collection can be what you want, large or small, common or scarce, land based or riverboats, the possibilities are endless.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment