Lost in the Desert (metaphorically) Please help! (4 Viewers)

[moechar]

I've been fortunate enough to come into some racks of D.W. Sahara 25's and 100's and would like to try to make a full cash set around them. Only problem is, I'm not sure what chips to use to fill the fracs, 1's and 5's. It seems as though finding a lot of the THC Sahara 1's and 5's is going to be very unlikely (correct me if I am wrong), so I am open to doing a relabel if I can find chips that fit the theme well. I can also try using live housemold Sahara 1's and 5's and relabeling them with one of the old inlays, but not sure if they'll fit with the D.W. colors, so I just want some opinions!

Some 1 options, please give any more suggestions that would relabel nicely:

I'm rather clueless on the 5's and fracs. Let me know what ya'll think.

 

[moechar]

Probably should've posted this at a more prime time haha

 

[RichMahogany]

@AfterTheFact

 

[CrazyEddie]

Use this and don't relabel! It's a great match with the others exactly as it is.

 

[moechar]

Use this and don't relabel! It's a great match with the others exactly as it is.

View attachment 651771

I would love to do this! I just don't know if there's enough out there for me to acquire 2-3 racks worth

 

[Lemonzest]

I would focus on relabels since most of the original Sahara chips have been vacuumed up by @AfterTheFact and other collectors. Don't use the new Sahara chips since they are a different mold and are also mint condition.

Not to make your quest harder but I recommend getting THC chips in a similar condition to what you have there. Mixing together mint chips with well worn chips doesn't fit well in a set IMO.

I would be on the search for used THC chips that you can relabel. Get in touch with @Gear and he can help you with the labels.

I am interested to see how it turns out as the old school vegas sets are among the best. It is a worthy quest

 

[softchewy]

What condition are the $25s and $100s? i.e. are you looking for a particular condition?

If looking to match the original DW $5 look, the Paris $5 comes to mind (though obviously the cost is going to be what it is as they are live chips).
A less expensive option would be the Casablanca $5 which are out in the community in quantity (used to have some racks of them).

There are some racks of these $.25s out there (I know I had some at one point) that might work as a frac, though hotstamps are very faded.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/mixed-hot-stamp-pr0n-thread.66064/page-3#post-1317544
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/100-pink-thc-sahara-fracs.49054/

other versions, not sure if available in quantity

 

[AfterTheFact]

Someone got a great deal on 30 of the gray/orange Sahara $1’s on eBay. I didn’t see them till after. My 2 racks is good for me but I’d definitely bought those if I would have see them first. Hopefully it was you

 

[Ben8257]

Start the long term project and go original!

Best of luck on your journey... many of us are caught up in searches that may last a life time!

 

[upNdown]

I've been fortunate enough to come into some racks of D.W. Sahara 25's and 100's and would like to try to make a full cash set around them. Only problem is, I'm not sure what chips to use to fill the fracs, 1's and 5's. It seems as though finding a lot of the THC Sahara 1's and 5's is going to be very unlikely (correct me if I am wrong), so I am open to doing a relabel if I can find chips that fit the theme well. I can also try using live housemold Sahara 1's and 5's and relabeling them with one of the old inlays, but not sure if they'll fit with the D.W. colors, so I just want some opinions!

View attachment 651564View attachment 651565

Some 1 options, please give any more suggestions that would relabel nicely:

View attachment 651566View attachment 651567View attachment 651568

I'm rather clueless on the 5's and fracs. Let me know what ya'll think.

I saw those on eBay. Great grab!

 

[moechar]

I would focus on relabels since most of the original Sahara chips have been vacuumed up by @AfterTheFact and other collectors. Don't use the new Sahara chips since they are a different mold and are also mint condition.

Not to make your quest harder but I recommend getting THC chips in a similar condition to what you have there. Mixing together mint chips with well worn chips doesn't fit well in a set IMO.

I would be on the search for used THC chips that you can relabel. Get in touch with @Gear and he can help you with the labels.

I am interested to see how it turns out as the old school vegas sets are among the best. It is a worthy quest

I definitely agree! I spoke with @AfterTheFact a bit, and it looks like he'll be putting his Saharas to use for a very long time haha.

What condition are the $25s and $100s? i.e. are you looking for a particular condition?

If looking to match the original DW $5 look, the Paris $5 comes to mind (though obviously the cost is going to be what it is as they are live chips).
A less expensive option would be the Casablanca $5 which are out in the community in quantity (used to have some racks of them).

View attachment 651798 View attachment 651799 View attachment 651800


There are some racks of these $.25s out there (I know I had some at one point) that might work as a frac, though hotstamps are very faded.
View attachment 651784
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/mixed-hot-stamp-pr0n-thread.66064/page-3#post-1317544
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/100-pink-thc-sahara-fracs.49054/

other versions, not sure if available in quantity
View attachment 651785

View attachment 651787

The chips are still on their way to me, but here are some pics. They will need to be cleaned & oiled upon arrival. There are 3 racks of 25's and 3 racks of hundreds. I definitely like both of these ideas for 5's a lot!!! Any clue how much they go for per rack of either the Paris or Casablanca's?

Someone got a great deal on 30 of the gray/orange Sahara $1’s on eBay. I didn’t see them till after. My 2 racks is good for me but I’d definitely bought those if I would have see them first. Hopefully it was you

It was unfortunately not me... I gotta start looking on eBay more often.

Start the long term project and go original!
View attachment 651809
Best of luck on your journey... many of us are caught up in searches that may last a life time!

I will 100% be bidding on this one and praying I get it. And very true, I will make it my lifetime mission to find all of them, will post an updated pr0n pic in 30 years hahaha.

 

[Lemonzest]

Those chips looks sweet! A lot of different opinions on this, but if it was me I would give em a good clean and add a few drops of oil.

 

[TeamNapoli]

well i think both ideas work, if you can make a replica set to hold you over and play with till you find enough to make an original set thats a win win.

i would use fushia thc for 25 cent, Paris for 5s, i do like the spotted 1s since the fracs would be solid. I would keep the new labels as antique looking as possible.

 

[moechar]

well i think both ideas work, if you can make a replica set to hold you over and play with till you find enough to make an original set thats a win win.

i would use fushia thc for 25 cent, Paris for 5s, i do like the spotted 1s since the fracs would be solid. I would keep the new labels as antique looking as possible.

Yep I think that's definitely my current plan. I'm going to try to build a set within this year using other chips & relabeling, and I will keep building the original set long term.

You have any idea on how much the Paris 5's and red Casablanca 5's above go for per rack? I found some old sales posts on the casablancas and they were very affordable, but didn't see any for Paris.

 

[softchewy]

Yep I think that's definitely my current plan. I'm going to try to build a set within this year using other chips & relabeling, and I will keep building the original set long term.

You have any idea on how much the Paris 5's and red Casablanca 5's above go for per rack? I found some old sales posts on the casablancas and they were very affordable, but didn't see any for Paris.

Paris $5s are live chips, so $5 per plus whatever on top the seller / harvester would charge.
Last sale I saw was a few months back at $5.5 per. Again, they are live, so can be harvested/turned in for face value (assuming just labeling over the top)

Casablancas are probably in the $2 - $2.25 range in good matching condition (don't quote me on that could be more.. possibly a little less)..

 

[John Conor]

Such a nice group of chips! Just a warning, be careful cleaning these. They are old chips and I damaged a few using oxyclean, which seems to remove the finish a bit. Im not knowledgeable enough to tell you if they’re C&J or Paulson, being from early 60’s but maybe that’s it.

I had been thinking about a mixed Del Webb set in the past. He owned the Mint Hotel and I always thought the $1’s would work well with the Sahara $25’s. Problem is you’re not going to find enough Mint Hotel $5’s and they are super pricey. But the $1’s are doable and come up with another $5 from same vintage.

Notice how the edge spots are pretty “clean” and don’t extend into the chip as much. I think that’s a sign of pre-Paulson. @BGinGA would know.

 

[moechar]

Paris $5s are live chips, so $5 per plus whatever on top the seller / harvester would charge.
Last sale I saw was a few months back at $5.5 per. Again, they are live, so can be harvested/turned in for face value (assuming just labeling over the top)

Casablancas are probably in the $2 - $2.25 range in good matching condition (don't quote me on that could be more.. possibly a little less)..

Oh okay awesome. Both doable! Once I sell some things that I have and figure out a game plan I'll definitely start hunting these down. When labeling over, is it likely that the label can peel off through use?

Such a nice group of chips! Just a warning, be careful cleaning these. They are old chips and I damaged a few using oxyclean, which seems to remove the finish a bit. Im not knowledgeable enough to tell you if they’re C&J or Paulson, being from early 60’s but maybe that’s it.

I had been thinking about a mixed Del Webb set in the past. He owned the Mint Hotel and I always thought the $1’s would work well with the Sahara $25’s. Problem is you’re not going to find enough Mint Hotel $5’s and they are super pricey. But the $1’s are doable and come up with another $5 from same vintage.
View attachment 651833
Notice how the edge spots are pretty “clean” and don’t extend into the chip as much. I think that’s a sign of pre-Paulson. @BGinGA would know.

Wow! Those Mint 1's do look great with the Saharas! I do believe they are C&J (at least the 100's according to Chip Guide) but I'm not 100% sure tbh. What would you suggest cleaning these with?

 

[John Conor]

Oh okay awesome. Both doable! Once I sell some things that I have and figure out a game plan I'll definitely start hunting these down. When labeling over, is it likely that the label can peel off through use?


Wow! Those Mint 1's do look great with the Saharas! I do believe they are C&J (at least the 100's according to Chip Guide) but I'm not 100% sure tbh. What would you suggest cleaning these with?

Just a little dawn and elbow grease. Not sure about ultrasonic, don’t have one. There should be a thread I’ll try to locate it.

 

[moechar]

Just a little dawn and elbow grease. Not sure about ultrasonic, don’t have one. There should be a thread I’ll try to locate it.

Awesome! Really appreciate it, thanks in advance!

 

[John Conor]

Awesome! Really appreciate it, thanks in advance!

C&J chips were manufactured by Burt Co (not Paulson), and used materials that are not compatible with TSP or Oxiclean, which quickly break down when exposed to either cleaner.

Dawn dish detergent and scrubbing with a soft-bristle brush is the only truly safe cleaning method (same as for any hot-stamped chip).

 

[softchewy]

Oh okay awesome. Both doable! Once I sell some things that I have and figure out a game plan I'll definitely start hunting these down. When labeling over, is it likely that the label can peel off through use?


Wow! Those Mint 1's do look great with the Saharas! I do believe they are C&J (at least the 100's according to Chip Guide) but I'm not 100% sure tbh. What would you suggest cleaning these with?

good labels (like from Gear) will definitely not come off with normal use. They can be removed later if needed with a little effort.

The chips don't look too dirty.
I don't recommend using oxiclean on the chips.. it's harsh and can fade colors.
Soap and water will do the trick with a blue scrub pad (use sponge side and if you come across some stubborn spots, then flip over for the scrubbing side) or you can also use a magic eraser pad for stubborn spots. Old toothbrush / light bristle brush can help with crevices as needed
Ultrasonic is useful if cleaning racks and racks of chips.. you can use TSP (the fake TSP) in the solution for cleaning (again, no oxi).
This is what I have used in my ultrasonic - Red Devil TSP 90
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015WT148/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are just cleaning a few racks and don't anticipate cleaning many racks of dirty chips in the future, soap and water will do the trick.

Oil around the edges, and remember, a little goes a long way. If you want to oil the face, I'd stay away from the label.
If your chips are "thirsty", you can oil again. Usually better to err on the side of less oil as you don't want them feeling slippery.
If you want to oil the face, I'd stay away from the label.
Test out a few chips and see what works best.

That said, there are specific threads on PCF about cleaning /oiling with with some very good info.
I would suggest reading through them before cleaning / oiling as there are some "pros" here with a lot of experience cleaning and oiling different types of chips.

 

[moechar]

good labels (like from Gear) will definitely not come off with normal use. They can be removed later if needed with a little effort.

The chips don't look too dirty.
I don't recommend using oxiclean on the chips.. it's harsh and can fade colors.
Soap and water will do the trick with a blue scrub pad (use sponge side and if you come across some stubborn spots, then flip over for the scrubbing side) or you can also use a magic eraser pad for stubborn spots. Old toothbrush / light bristle brush can help with crevices as needed
Ultrasonic is useful if cleaning racks and racks of chips.. you can use TSP (the fake TSP) in the solution for cleaning (again, no oxi).
This is what I have used in my ultrasonic - Red Devil TSP 90
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015WT148/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are just cleaning a few racks and don't anticipate cleaning many racks of dirty chips in the future, soap and water will do the trick.

Oil around the edges, and remember, a little goes a long way. If you want to oil the face, I'd stay away from the label.
If your chips are "thirsty", you can oil again. Usually better to err on the side of less oil as you don't want them feeling slippery.
If you want to oil the face, I'd stay away from the label.
Test out a few chips and see what works best.

That said, there are specific threads on PCF about cleaning /oiling with with some very good info.
I would suggest reading through them before cleaning / oiling as there are some "pros" here with a lot of experience cleaning and oiling different types of chips.

Awesome! Thanks a bunch. Do you have any suggestions for a THC $1 to relabel while I work on piecing everything together? I really like the frac and 5 suggestions you gave.

 

[softchewy]

Awesome! Thanks a bunch. Do you have any suggestions for a THC $1 to relabel while I work on piecing everything together? I really like the frac and 5 suggestions you gave.

I'm not sure if the Del Webb Sahara $25s and $100s you have are Paulson or C&J, but I'm leaning toward C&J (due to the edgespot shaping) .
The telltale sign of C&J is usually the edgespot being concave following the shape of the chip where Paulsons do not do this.

A good example is the MINT $1 chip above.
C&J version

Paulson Version

Notice the edgespot shape difference.

Hopefully someone else may be able to chime in and say for certain.

Might be tough to match that original grey $1.
There are a few different edgespots that will work in the spot progression depending on what you are after.
Are you set on a grey base for the $1 or are you open to say maybe a blue or white base color for the $1?


some possibilities

some live options (believe they are all still live)

2Vs

 

[TeamNapoli]

wasnt someone just selling a rack or two of the blue binions

MAn those are some great choices you put up there

 

[TeamNapoli]

Another one but i think they are a bit pricey is the blue chip, i think they sold for 350 maybe 375 a rack but blue with yellow spots man oh man

 

[moechar]

wasnt someone just selling a rack or two of the blue binions

MAn those are some great choices you put up there

yeah he certainly did give a lot of good options. I actually have about a rack and a half of those Cleveland 1's too, but I wasn't sure if they would look good with the theme. A blue one might look better.

Another one but i think they are a bit pricey is the blue chip, i think they sold for 350 maybe 375 a rack but blue with yellow spots man oh man

Which blue chip?

 

[wonderpuddle]

Vegas world fabulous frequency machines hot stamps are out there and it’s a great chip that would mesh with the 3d14 spots on your $25 and $200. Here’s mine already milled:

Are you committed to building a cash set rather than a tourney set? You have a great start to a multi table tourney set with those racks. I think you could do a complete 3d14 tourney set if you added a couple racks of $5 and maybe a rack or so of $500s (and perhaps a few $1000s as well). But it would be hard to do a cash set with 3d14 spots since blue and white chips are really tough to find with that pattern.

If you are set on cash, I’d consider doing a 312 chip at the $1 and $5. Something like this would give you a nice progression:

 

[moechar]

Vegas world fabulous frequency machines hot stamps are out there and it’s a great chip that would mesh with the 3d14 spots on your $25 and $200. Here’s mine already milled:
View attachment 652155
Are you committed to building a cash set rather than a tourney set? You have a great start to a multi table tourney set with those racks. I think you could do a complete 3d14 tourney set if you added a couple racks of $5 and maybe a rack or so of $500s (and perhaps a few $1000s as well). But it would be hard to do a cash set with 3d14 spots since blue and white chips are really tough to find with that pattern.

If you are set on cash, I’d consider doing a 312 chip at the $1 and $5. Something like this would give you a nice progression:
View attachment 652162
View attachment 652161

I am pretty set on cash, as I already have a tournament set and I prefer cash games as well. Those are all really good options as well! Making this decision even harder haha, I appreciate your help! I'm not sure how obtainable/the price on those outposts and claim stakes, but I like the deeper reds for this kind of theme which the outpost does well as well as the other options named before. So many options!!!

 

[TeamNapoli]

Sorry i made a mistake its a RHC chip for some reason i thought it was thc

 

[moechar]

Sorry i made a mistake its a RHC chip for some reason i thought it was thc

View attachment 652168

No worries! I think I'm definitely gonna stick to THC with these though, but those blue chip fracs are really nice