What drives the price of chips? (1 Viewer)

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Tronicity

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Howdy gang, new to the poker chip scene.


Just curious as to what drive the price for certain chips. I know china clays are going to be less expensive than a Paulson but what makes Paulson so expensive? And what makes some Paulsons more expensive than others? Why are the Tigers Palace chips more expensive than anything else ive seen? (btw theyre gorgeous).

I finished my Royals cash game set as my first chip set but am looking to try and make a tournament set over the next few years and deciding on which chip I prefer, just curious as to what drive the price.
 
ChipTalker said:
Supply vs Demand mostly. The more people like a chip the higher they are willing to pay.
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Which is fair, I know for less expensive chips you can get them from 50 cents to $1 on apache and other websites, so easier to obtain. I know Paulsons mostly arent, and thus expensive ha
 
Tronicity said:
Which is fair, I know for less expensive chips you can get them from 50 cents to $1 on apache and other websites, so easier to obtain. I know Paulsons mostly arent, and thus expensive ha
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Correct, To be fair most consider a Paulson chip higher quality materials and like the look and feel better than CC or Ceramic so right out of the gate they get a higher price tag. Then factor in condition and availability ...
 
ChipTalker said:
Correct, To be fair most consider a Paulson chip higher quality materials and like the look and feel better than CC or Ceramic so right out of the gate they get a higher price tag. Then factor in condition and availability ...
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Give me all the flee bites, theyre getting felted almost immediately anyway
 
I think it's two things.

1) There's an old-school aesthetic of compression molded clay poker chips. This has been somewhat reinforced through movies and other media. They tend to have the Paulson logo even though there were dozens of companies that sold them. Though CPC exists today, it's not a particularly price-competitive product (though my main set is CPC)
2) The limited nature of them makes them luxury items. You can't order what you want- you just get what the market provides.

Tigers in particular are minty new chips that are in a more limited old-school mold (THC, not RHC) and have the mega-bright spot colors that are popular on this site.
 
BPTDirector said:
People with too much money and greedy tendencies.
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Did you intend on that to plural?

There was a day not so many years ago that these were about $8 each and sat in the classifieds
Screenshot_20240220_083836_Gallery.jpg

Most recent sale on eBay
Screenshot_20240307_091528_eBay.jpg

When I started collecting these
20230923_130031.jpg

They were about $8 each... then $12, then $20... then
Screenshot_20211226-192231_eBay.jpg

Is that my fault for wanting a playable quantity of these?

OMG what an investment... put them in a safe under lock and key and treat them like gold investments right?
20220715_180457.jpg

Sure that one person changed the face of chipping and definitely not in a more economical direction... though the economy has helped balance that out a bit.

It absolutely IS supply and demand! It wasn't that long ago we hit 10k members and now pushing 13k in a very short span of time... more people wanting "the good stuff" and NOT more of the good stuff available to fill the hunger.

I joined less than 5 years ago and felt extremely late to the game... but even then quality sets were avaliable in the $3 per chip range. Covid saw a huge inrush of new collectors drawn to the hobby... completely uncontrollable and most consider it a "good thing"

Some that had been holding larger quality sets looking to get max return on their investments did exactly that... turned around and designed custom sets of CPCs for quarter of the price that filled their current needs and ran to the bank with the rest! Good on them!

Unfortunately there are wealth gaps in the world for those that haven't figured that out... I have played Knee to Knee with the man that flew in on a Private Jet. I have played the beautiful game of Poker with Very successful Laeyers and Doctors, medical technology designers... I hate to say this but yeah... those folks probably have a few more dollars to invest in the hobby than a blue collar construction worker... that's called life man.

Why is it Jay Leno owns 181 cars that are all valued higher than my Civic and 2001 F250... why did $2000 Rolex's hit $5 to $10k during covid as well?

This has rapidly become a higher income hobby... there are still sets being found for resonable prices, and people that live pay check to pay check are still capable of building a quality set of Leaded THCs... it just might take a bit longer.

This set cost me more than I have ever had in my bank account by nearly 3 times as much
20220312_122505.jpg

But over 3 years in the poor house I made it happen!

Decide what is trully important to you and your collection... set a budget and plan on it doubling several times before the finish line if you want to get the job done!

@Tronicity I promise you there are MANY chip sets out there that cost far more than Tigers. Vintage real casino used clay demands a hefty fee! Hopefully you can find happiness in new aged chips where costs are less... like many things the older you go, the more valuable it is.

Try to avoid this stuff if you can!
Screenshot_20240307_095023_eBay.jpg

Imagine the cost of a playable set, and yes several exist!

Fellow Chipper
Ben
 
Tronicity said:
Howdy gang, new to the poker chip scene.


Just curious as to what drive the price for certain chips. I know china clays are going to be less expensive than a Paulson but what makes Paulson so expensive? And what makes some Paulsons more expensive than others? Why are the Tigers Palace chips more expensive than anything else ive seen? (btw theyre gorgeous).

I finished my Royals cash game set as my first chip set but am looking to try and make a tournament set over the next few years and deciding on which chip I prefer, just curious as to what drive the price.
Click to expand...
You can directly order China Clays from the factory. The only real way to get Paulson's is thru a casino closure and second hand. This drives a submarket purely driven by demand. Limited supply with heavy demand causes prices to go up. Then add a spike to prices with the influx of money a few years ago and prices have stayed on the top end.
 
nlhenerd said:
I tried and couldn't find 'em. Can you point me in the right direction?
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Nope. I don't order China clays. I deal in clay and Bud Jones. But tons have ordered thru Tina, I'd find those posts and I bet a trail will lead you to victory.
 
Tronicity said:
Why are the Tigers Palace chips more expensive than anything else ive seen?
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These chips initially hit the market at the prices you're seeing in the classifieds, so that's pretty much the floor. Anyone who sells for less will be doing so at a loss. So these chips will always fetch a premium. Same goes with the boat chips, Royal Princesses and all the other fictitious entities you see here and there.

It wasn't too long ago when prices were more reasonable. You could get casino worn THCs for $1 apiece or thereabouts. But as others have noted, the free money from the pandemic created a bunch of new demand without the inventory to support it. With new hobbyists coming in with money to burn, prices shot up.
 
Tronicity said:
Howdy gang, new to the poker chip scene.


Just curious as to what drive the price for certain chips. I know china clays are going to be less expensive than a Paulson but what makes Paulson so expensive? And what makes some Paulsons more expensive than others? Why are the Tigers Palace chips more expensive than anything else ive seen? (btw theyre gorgeous).

I finished my Royals cash game set as my first chip set but am looking to try and make a tournament set over the next few years and deciding on which chip I prefer, just curious as to what drive the price.
Click to expand...

No different than watches and cars. If someone is happy with their phone and Camry that’s all there is to it.

And crypto.
 
Tronicity said:
Why are the Tigers Palace chips more expensive than anything else ive seen? (btw theyre gorgeous).
Click to expand...
They had a high price they were offered to the community (over-priced I.M.O.). Nobody who bought them early on wants to take a loss when they try to re-sell them (though I'm starting to see some sold for less than starting).
 
AlbinoDragon said:
They had a high price they were offered to the community (over-priced I.M.O.). Nobody who bought them early on wants to take a loss when they try to re-sell them (though I'm starting to see some sold for less than starting).
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Not a secret…

Anybody need some white claw NCVs?
 
I haven't seen anybody mention lead yet. Some chip manufacturers used to mix lead in with their clay. This made for chips that were heavier and softer (less brittle) which many of us prefer. Nobody has produced leaded compressed clays in over 20 years, and never will again. So those chips sell for a premium. Its hard to tell with supply and demand and all, but if those Tigers were leaded, they'd probably sell for something like twice as much.
 
Quality, rarity, popularity, etc....

The reality is that good chips are getting harder to find. Casinos used to have top notch chips (TRK and THCs) however more and more casinos are switching to cheaper options. The primary manufacturers of chips, most notably Paulson/GPI, no longer sell directly to the home market. As a result, the quality chips are getting more expensive.

That being said, there are still a lot of affordable options out there that are a good balance between quality and price. This website is just meeting place for a bunch of obsessives who love a very niche hobby, thus a lot of the focus is on the high-end and expensive chips.
 
Tronicity said:
Howdy gang, new to the poker chip scene.


Just curious as to what drive the price for certain chips.
Click to expand...
Short answer? Desire. More specifically, the desire of people to own them.

Lots of other reasons/factors too, but none as significant.
 

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