What Chips do you Consider "ICONIC"? (1 Viewer)

Moxie Mike

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We have the HOF sets, and we have grail sets. But what chips are just iconic?

What makes a chip 'iconic'? For me, it's a combination of instant recognizability, history, prestige, just overall importance to the community or any combo thereof.

What are your nominations? Mine are:

Jack secondary $25s. You hear the word 'Watermelons' and it's instantly understood what is being referenced. Universally loved and admired and while not particularly difficult to come by, these chips are instantly recognizable by experts and novices alike from their edgespots alone.

Empress Joliet primary $5s. The first Paulson chips for many, these have served as the quintessential gateway drug to a chipping addiction. Worth owning in an quantity or condition.

Paulson Vineyards. The closest thing to perfection.

CDIs (all varieties). The first fantasy chip and arguably the greatest tribute to 007 (other than maybe a Walther PPK).

Rounders (faithful replicas only). This movie was an intro to the world of poker and No Limit Texas Holdem for millions of people. These chips are the ultimate homage to a life-changing film.

I'm sure there are many others. Whatcha got?
 
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Coke Giraffes for me, at least PCF-wise. They just randomly popped up on eBay less than a month after I joined, there was immediately hysteria, fun, memes, arguing, intrigue, etc. We don't even call them by their real name 99% of the time:LOL: :laugh:. Beautiful leaded Cali chips just popping up out of nowhere and right before prices just went absolutely bonkers was basically an event. To think I was almost able to get a rack at one point, when now I'd be absolutely thrilled to get just a card-capper.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/cali-paulsons.58924/

I know other chips initially came about in similar ways (RVCL/Starlites), but I wasn't around for that.
 
Funny, I don’t particularly care for these chips. I’ve never owned a sample of even this mold, let alone this set. But before I even got into this hobby, there were always those ridiculously expensive real clay chips like they have in the casino that seemed like the ultimate for home games, and a goal only attainable by millionaires -

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I may be biased, but I would say the Taj Mahal $100. The Taj was a big and important poker room before and leading into the poker boom. It certainly was the Mecca for poker in AC if not the east coast in that era. these chips were highlighted in the Taj Mahal scenes in Rounders including with Johnny Chan. And I am still curious if these were inspiration for the Rounders $100.

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Funny, I don’t particularly care for these chips. I’ve never owned a sample of even this mold, let alone this set. But before I even got into this hobby, there were always those ridiculously expensive real clay chips like they have in the casino that seemed like the ultimate for home games, and a goal only attainable to millionaires -

View attachment 737155
Well said. These were a first love. Tried really hard at 14 years old to justify buying these for my weekly $5 tournament. Little did I know that years later I would find ways to justify buying much more expensive chips for no game at all lol.
 
Spotted Flamingo 1s are classic and it seems like a ton of people love them (including myself). I can think of other chips that are well loved (Empress Star 0.25c chip, Jack Cincy $2, CDM $50, Horseshoe Cleveland snappers, PCA 0.50c) but they don't quite rise to the level of "iconic" the same way those flamingos do.
 
Funny, I don’t particularly care for these chips. I’ve never owned a sample of even this mold, let alone this set. But before I even got into this hobby, there were always those ridiculously expensive real clay chips like they have in the casino that seemed like the ultimate for home games, and a goal only attainable by millionaires -

View attachment 737155
I bought them 15 years ago and can't bring myself to sell them.

Cash set with $10s relabeled as fracs.

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Tournament set:
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Looking at it from the viewpoint of the chipsets that have generated the most consistent long-term love and traffic among CT and PCF members, I'd say that these should be the original installation in the Chippers' Hall of Fame:

Chipcos, from the era of the Egyptians, Apaches, and the 2004-2005 WSOP tributes

Paulson Pharaohs, National Poker Series, World TH&C, Noirs, Crystal Parks

TRK Nevada Club/Lodge

BCC Mardi Gras, Riverboats

Paulson and BCC Vineyards

Aztars (assorted)

Bahamias

PCAs

PNYs
 
Funny, I don’t particularly care for these chips. I’ve never owned a sample of even this mold, let alone this set. But before I even got into this hobby, there were always those ridiculously expensive real clay chips like they have in the casino that seemed like the ultimate for home games, and a goal only attainable by millionaires -

View attachment 737155
I've always thought these - while nice - are pretty generic and uninspired. The mold is kind of obnoxious too... it's as if they're meant to say 'look at me I've got Paulsons for my home game' - as if non-chippers actually care about this.

Paulson Classics are the BMWs of chipping. Nice, respectable, reliable.... but not particularly impressive.
 
Dunes with their Vegas story.

Rounders as probably the best poker movie made so far.

Pharaohs as a classic commercial grade chip made available to the public. Are Pharaohs the number one public seller for Paulson?

I think the boat chips are a great story of some chip nerds getting one over on "The Man". Too bad it's so divisive on here.
 
Paulson Classics are the BMWs of chipping. Nice, respectable, reliable.... but not particularly impressive.
I'd say the exact same thing about the Bellagio chips.

I just keep coming back to my favorite chips, and we've had a million threads about that. So I tried to find the most applicable definitions of iconic - here's what I've got:
Icon definition
a person or thing widely admired especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere.
A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration.
someone who is adored blindly and excessively
A person or thing that is the best example of a certain profession or some doing.
someone or something regarded as embodying the essential characteristics of an era, group, etc.
 
Paulson Noir
Paulson CDI
Rounders TRK
Le Circle
Golden Nugget 100s
Bellagio Cranberries (because of whole roberry scandal)

and for my Warsaw regulars Old Havana Club ceramics (first decent poker cash set)
 
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I tend to design or at least custom-(re-)label my own chips, which always have a deep emotional meaning to me, so my "iconic" chips are my own.
A very nice -and heretical- holy icon I adore is this:
ATHENIAN_OWL_CLUB_0279.jpg
 
Any set that the high rollers on here throw $15+/chip on is iconic.

Bonus iconic points if those chips are then relabeled.
 
Any set that the high rollers on here throw $15+/chip on is iconic.

Bonus iconic points if those chips are then relabeled.
I sometimes can’t tell when people are serious.

But there’s a handful of guys trying to spend $20 a chip on those big top $5s right now. And I’d love to see a poll on whether those chips are iconic or what. Personally I think they’re some pretty goofy looking chips, but I don’t like Cali colors, so maybe it’s just me.
 
I sometimes can’t tell when people are serious.

But there’s a handful of guys trying to spend $20 a chip on those big top $5s right now. And I’d love to see a poll on whether those chips are iconic or what. Personally I think they’re some pretty goofy looking chips, but I don’t like Cali colors, so maybe it’s just me.
I am not being serious at all. The Big Top sale reminds me how different my tastes are compared to, seemingly, most everyone else on here. I agree with you completely.
 
I sometimes can’t tell when people are serious.

But there’s a handful of guys trying to spend $20 a chip on those big top $5s right now. And I’d love to see a poll on whether those chips are iconic or what. Personally I think they’re some pretty goofy looking chips, but I don’t like Cali colors, so maybe it’s just me.

I absolutely love the BTPs. It may be my favorite set of all time. And these 5s may be my favorite in the lineup. But I wouldn’t say the set was iconic of anything other than bold and colorful design.

Edit: On second thought I think it would be apt to call the BTPs an icon of bold, bright, and colorful design. I actually think these fit the definition of the iconic descriptor better than other chips mentioned here.
 
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