Gambling/General : New Hobby: Casino Chip Collecting

Unusual hobbies give life a touch of sophistication and at many times can add a lot of money in the pockets of the hobbyist. Think for instance at the time when collecting coins and stamps was considered unusual and the notoriety it has brought for the collectors reliable to their hobbies.

Now, there's another unusual hobby that seems to make money and sentimental values for the collectors. It's called Casino Chip Collecting.

Collecting casino chips involves taking with you the chips purchased at casinos or buying them online from auction sites, especially eBay. Casino chip collecting started in 1988 and was constantly growing since then. You will be surprised to find that some rare and discontinued chips are valued at as high as $50,000, with the highest-ever recorded sale being $39,000.

Looking to get started in Casino Chip Collecting? Well, below is some basic information you can consider as a good starting point. For more detailed information, visit pokerchipcollector.com

How are casino chips evaluated?
The casino chip collecting attracted more and more enthusiasts and to make clear its “rules” by the end of the year 2003 the Casino Chips & Gaming Tokens Collectors Club introduced a worldwide grading system for casino chips. Here is a brief overview of the grading system:

New chips: Chips never used in games which don’t have any marks of wear and tear.

Slightly used chips: Those are the chips that have only a small number of wear and tear marks.

Average chips: Chips that present a higher amount of wear-and-tear marks, and whose edges are beginning to dull a bit.

Well-used chips: These chips have inlays still visible, but the quality of wear-and-tear marks that fall between the marks found on average chips and the poor chips.

Poor chips: These are the chips that present damaged, cracked, blurred, nicked and full of crosshatch marks.

Damaged chips: These chips include any damage marked on them (broken, cracked, missing inlays, burns, faded, etc.).

Canceled chips: This category of chips is represented by the ones canceled or modified by the casino.

Grading and collecting casino chips
Casino chips are classified based on factors such as denomination, color, mold, inlay and their rareness. There are even some hobbyists that have begun collecting every type of chip from a single casino; or, they collect just one chip from every casino in order to have an extensive collection.

The most popular casino chips are those of $ 1, 5. Collectors usually arrange their casino chips in folders and keep them away from sunlight and florescent light. Hobbyists say that cleaning the chips is not a mandatory task, but there's no harm in cleaning them if it is necessary.

What’s the starting point of this hobby?
If you want to become a serious Casino Chip Collector you need first to inform yourself on the subject. You can start with the available online sources. Also, take in consideration that the best way to get started is to get your hands on the comprehensive Casino Chip Collecting guide. It will explain you the history of casino chips, how they are made, the best places to find them, how to estimate their real values, how to figure out fakes and how to take care of your casino chips.

You can download the Casino Chip Collecting from pokerchipcollector.com

Once you are informed relax. Your chips will always be up and never down.