| Poker is the most popular card game in the world, | | | | depending on their size. Air-tights are transparent |
| known as a celebrated skill game, and sport. Since | | | | plastic coin holders that hold a single coin. An |
| it's humble origins in the 14th century, The games | | | | air-tight consists of two halves that snap-together |
| jargon has become a part of English and | | | | around a coin to form a snug, air-tight fit. |
| American culture. | | | | Air-tights are great storage solutions to |
| Poker chips are almost synonymous with the | | | | show-case your best chips, but tend to be pricey, |
| game of poker itself. Early poker players | | | | so it can be cost-prohibitive to store your entire |
| sometimes used jagged gold pieces, gold nuggets, | | | | collection in them. |
| gold dust, or coins as well as "chips" primarily | | | | Coin tubes are hard plastic tubes that can hold |
| made of ivory, bone, wood, paper and a | | | | approximately 20 chips in a small space. The coins |
| composition made from clay and shellac. Several | | | | are tubular on the inside but are molded square |
| companies between the 1880s and the late 1930s | | | | on the outside to prevent rolling and allow |
| began making clay composition poker chips. | | | | stacking. When ordering coin tubes, you should |
| Casino chip collecting also became increasingly | | | | order the 39mm, or "medallion" size. Coin tubes |
| popular beginning in 1988, with the establishment | | | | are a good storage solution to store your many |
| of the Casino Chips & Gaming Tokens | | | | traders, but you should be aware that the chips |
| Collectors Club (CC>CC). Casino chip collecting | | | | are not separated from contact with each other |
| is the practice of intentionally taking casino chips | | | | in the tubes. As a result, if not handled properly, |
| from Casino premises, trading or collecting online, | | | | it's theoretically possible that the chips could mar |
| or in person, for the purpose of collection. Casino | | | | each other. For well used or older chips, this may |
| chip collecting is a part of numismatics; a variation | | | | not be a concern, but you may want to think |
| of exonumia, or coin collecting. Before it became | | | | twice before storing your mint-condition chips in a |
| a more serious hobby, casino chip collecting was | | | | storage tube. |
| simply a case of people keeping chips as | | | | There are several varieties of cases available |
| souvenirs from a casino they had visited. Some | | | | from aluminum to leather to vinyl to wood - your |
| chips are now worth up to $50,000. | | | | only limit is your budget. These cases usually hold |
| Whether a serious collector or a weekend gamer, | | | | anywhere from 300 to 500 chips although there |
| some equipment will be needed in order to store | | | | are some 1000 chip models. There are several |
| or display your chips. The best way to store or | | | | varieties of special presentation cases that are |
| display your chips is very subjective and will | | | | excellent to showcase your most prized chips. |
| ultimately boil down to personal preference. | | | | Wooden poker cases may include chip trays that |
| There are several alternatives to displaying your | | | | can be used to protect and store your chips, or |
| chips. Frames specifically for displaying casino chips | | | | can be removed to stack each players chips at |
| are available, or you can buy special mounting | | | | the poker table. There is a shallow groove on the |
| "backer" board to hold the chips and frame them | | | | back of the trays to permit you to stack the |
| yourself. Another display option is easel-mounted | | | | trays at the poker table. When buying or ordering |
| frames for one or more chips. For that | | | | wooden poker chip trays, it is important to |
| extra-special or lucky chip, you might want to | | | | specify the finish be polyurethane or a non-soluble |
| consider a Casino Chip Key Chain Holder. This is | | | | varnish. Specifically, avoid any type of Oil finish |
| typically a clear plastic air-tight holder attached to | | | | such as Tung or Danish oil, as these oils can |
| a key chain. | | | | penetrate into the clay chips over time. |
| Storing your chips can range from very | | | | Again, be certain that your chips are appropriately |
| inexpensive to extravagant, depending on the | | | | sized for the chip case. Generally speaking, the |
| type of chips you own, and whether you want | | | | majority of chips are of the 39mm size. Large |
| them on display or not. Several vendors offer | | | | denomination chips, as well as chips based on the |
| "chip" binders that are basically a padded binder | | | | Paulson Inverted Hat and Cane (IHC) fractionals |
| with the words "Casino Chips" printed on the front | | | | mold, are of the larger 43mm size. |
| and spine. These binders are designed to hold the | | | | Another measurement that may be referenced is |
| three-ring binder pages that are in-turn specifically | | | | the mold size - 66.7 or a 67.7 rack. This number is |
| designed to hold casino chips. | | | | an indication as to the length (in millimeters) that is |
| Flips are typically stored either in binders or flip | | | | required to house a stack of 20 chips. Paulson |
| boxes. The former offer the convenience of | | | | chips require a 66.7 rack, others are on the 67.7 |
| being able to view your chips much like viewing a | | | | size. This may not be a major concern, but it is |
| photo album. The flip boxes on the other hand, | | | | worth mentioning. Chip thickness can also impact |
| allow you to store more chips in a small space | | | | how difficult it is too add or remove chips from a |
| and are more efficient and practical for those of | | | | tray. As a chip begins to show signs of wear, |
| you who don't have a lot of shelf space for chip | | | | edges may become less crisp and the chip |
| albums. | | | | becomes a bit thinner. Over time, chips may |
| Chip, or coin, wallets are small vinyl albums that | | | | wiggle a bit in the case. |
| typically hold anywhere from 24 to 80 chips | | | | |