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Differences between the different 'solid' chips out there like super diamond, unicorn, faux clay, elephant&crown, etc, etc (1 Viewer)

Raphmivey

Raphmivey

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Hi everyone!

There is so much information in that forum and I keep learning about new chips every time I check. The more I see pictures, the more I like 'solid' chips. I've seen many different budget friendly options out there but I have issues comparing them and also knowing them all!

I'm new to this and unfortunately do not have enough friends that play poker to justify buying paulson style chips... I'm looking into more budget friendly options.

So what are those options and what are the differences between all of them in terms of quality, material, flatness, color selection, price, etc, etc.

Thank you I really appreciate your help!!!

Math
 
If you really want "non Paulson style" solids, your options are faux clays or china clays. Solid China Clays are fairly difficult to find. They dont pop up often, if at all.

Edit: you could also get solid ceramics but that seems like such a waste of the medium
 
Last edited:
This is a very difficult question.
First, Elephant and crown don't belong in that list - they're always compressed clay, which translates to top shelf.
Super diamonds are usually cheap plastic, except when they're they Paulson diamond mold, in which case they're top shelf? It's difficult to tell the difference.
Unicorn chips are almost always injection molded plastics, except that apparently s few on them were actually produced with compressed clay.
Faux clay, I don't know much about, except they're plastic that maybe stack well?

Maybe somebody can give you a primer here, but the best advice I can give you is to read here, a lot. Use the search function to find good threads discussing these issues. Buy some of these chips to feel them, to weigh them, and maybe break them apart to see what they look like inside. And maybe put a blow torch on them (clay doesn't burn very well.)
 
upNdown said:
This is a very difficult question.
First, Elephant and crown don't belong in that list - they're always compressed clay, which translates to top shelf.
Super diamonds are usually cheap plastic, except when they're they Paulson diamond mold, in which case they're top shelf? It's difficult to tell the difference.
Unicorn chips are almost always injection molded plastics, except that apparently s few on them were actually produced with compressed clay.
Faux clay, I don't know much about, except they're plastic that maybe stack well?

Maybe somebody can give you a primer here, but the best advice I can give you is to read here, a lot. Use the search function to find good threads discussing these issues. Buy some of these chips to feel them, to weigh them, and maybe break them apart to see what they look like inside. And maybe put a blow torch on them (clay doesn't burn very well.)
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I linked the search. Too much to cover in one post
 
yeah I kind of expected this answer...

I am not lazy at all it is just that I do not know what to search for... I discover new ones and then I search for them, but I keep discovering new ones so I was thinking it would be great to have some kind of list instead of discovering one by one... anyways I'll be more patient I guess

Still thank you guys for your answers!
 
Sometimes, if you're lucky, you might be able to find a good solid set in the form of vintage ASMs (the precursor company to CPC) that are in a decent cash breakdown. Average price range is 0.30-0.40 per chip depending on condition.

You can see lots of Paulson THC solids around, especially in the Classifieds. Average price range is 0.75-1.25 per chip depending on condition for these. Most of the time you are building a few racks or barrels at a time to make a playable set in the quantities/colours that you need. However, only a small minority of these would be denominated, and consider yourself very lucky if the denoms are both in good condition and also correlate with the stakes you need.

Now that you have all these solids, what do you do with them? Play with them as is? Customize them? If hot stamped, then minimum charge for milling is about 0.65 per chip. Laminated labels? Add about 0.30 per chip. If you can do the work yourself, you can save some money. But customization always costs.


Even at the low end of the "solid" scale, there are differences in quality. There are different types of Super Diamonds, too. Vintage ones look and feel superior to more modern ones, which can vary in quality from ok ones to worse-than-dice-chip ones. Unicorn mold chips don't show up very often, but they were considered a "budget" (cheap) line of hot-stamped plastic most often used for non-value chips like roulette, or fractional value chips, or even non-game purposes like drink tokens and advertising.

There's also Bud Jones R4 roulette chips, which are plastic, and can be considered "solids" because they don't really have what you would call a traditional edge spot. They are available relatively cheaply, and fairly easily customizable, and also available in a wide selection of colours. @The Chip Exchange I believe has a wide variety for sale. @TheChipRoom did have some recently from some of their closed casino offerings, but stock has probably dwindled. Forum members sometimes list these for sale in the Classifieds, too. Even the unplayed Jack Detroit roulette chips were of this type.
 
do yourself a favor & forget about all that. unless of course, there's something really drawing you to solids & you plan to build a quality solid arrangement.

get in on the prestige group buy. quality for value is un-matched. another option is if the aggravation street buy design speaks to you. the deal those guys get on printed ceramics is quite a value as well.

readily available value is in group buys. super diamonds, unicorns & faux clays are cheap chips for cheap

elephant & crown? now that would be a solid quality arrangement
 
Thank you @allforcharity and @dimperdoo ! Actually yes I would plan to mill them and do labels. I would do that myself. The strategy here is that I know for sure that I'll have the chip illness and doing this project will take me a lot of time (which is good!) and thus keep me busy not buying other chips (which I cannot afford reasonably speaking)! :p

From your comments I feel like elephant & crown is a very good option. Also vintage ASMs right? I'll be looking at the chip exchange, chiproom and prestige group buy as you suggested. thx!

Other than that I'll see if people around me are interested in starting playing poker, maybe even create a routine and so justify investing in more chips! :)
 
since someone brought up solids I feel compelled to share lol

20200412_100338.jpg
20190607_162734.jpg
20181121_170430.jpg
 
@detroitdad you me to suffer of jealousy or what :P nice stuff! which are these and how do you like them in terms of chip (I mean not design, which by the way is very cool)
 
Kid_Eastwood said:
The PolyClay (or even Polyspectra) from @SUN-FLY Poker Chips are as good and affordable option (about USD 0.40 / each) for full custom.

--> this platform (PolyClay) is also perfect for faux-shaped inlay style chips.

The Bank - Close-up on 10c

The Bank - Close-up on 10c

Click to expand...
^^I agree. A set of custom polyclays would be a far better -- and ultimately less expensive -- option than any set of plastics or milled/relabeled clays
 
If you're relabelling or modifying them in some way is part of the plan, maybe reach out to @ABC Gifts and Awards to see if he has any more of the solid 8Vs (use the search function if you're unfamiliar) he was liquidating a while back. Email is the best way to get a response from them.

The only other budget clay (commonly referred to as 'China Clays') solids I can think of are a discontinued product called 'Spirit Molds'. They're known to be of poor quality from a durability standpoint but they're dirt cheap... check chipsandgames.com to see if they have any left.
 
Did someone say SUPERDIAMOND SOLID????
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Kid_Eastwood said:
The PolyClay (or even Polyspectra) from @SUN-FLY Poker Chips are as good and affordable option (about USD 0.40 / each) for full custom.

--> this platform (PolyClay) is also perfect for faux-shaped inlay style chips.

The Bank - Close-up on 10c

The Bank - Close-up on 10c

Click to expand...
I went on the sunfly website and I have a hard time understanding the difference between polyclay, poynno, polyspectra, etc... but USD 0.40/chip seems attractive for full custom chips. Is there one version less expensive than the others (and why)?

I do not have a design yet since I am still 'searching' for the right chip. I do like this option (custom ceramic) and I have handle samples of Ceramics (actually from BRO pro) and I do like them a lot (I actually ordered some but won't receive them any time soon as they are stuck in the US - long story).

Anyways I have to start sketching and see if I can come up with something. Would you share your inkscape templates? I'll check tutorials on the web

Thank you!!! do you speak french btw? I am french Canadian...
 
i can't even go on sunfly's site i get the bit about it not being secure. so, poly clay (probably) is plain ceramic full print. polyinno (for sure) you can print the shoulder and rolling edge but has a recess for a label ~printed separately. order with & sunfly applies them or without & have someone like gear do your labels. if poly caly is full print, polyspectra is very similar but has impressions in the shoulder of the chip; similar to the top hat & cane of a paulson or horseheads or whatever ~like the ones above where it's 2 cards (sunfly's own stock impressions ~so they have something of a "mold")
 
Last edited:
Raphmivey said:
I went on the sunfly website and I have a hard time understanding the difference between polyclay, poynno, polyspectra, etc... but USD 0.40/chip seems attractive for full custom chips. Is there one version less expensive than the others (and why)?
Click to expand...
dimperdoo said:
i can't even go on sunfly's site i get the bit about it not being secure. so, poly clay (probably) is plain ceramic full print. polyinno (for sure) you can print the shoulder and rolling edge but has a recess for a label ~printed separately. order with & sunfly applies them or without & have someone like gear do your labels. if poly caly is full print, polyspectra is very similar but has impressions in the shoulder of the chip; similar to the top hat & cane of a paulson or horseheads or whatever ~like the ones above where it's 2 cards (sunfly's own stock impressions ~so they have something of a "mold")
Click to expand...
^^ Nope, that is incorrect.

Sun-Fly products listed by cost (lowest to highest):

Polyspectra is a 39mm ceramic blank designed for the low-cost roulette chip market, available in two different molded polyclay mold designs (diamonds or cards) in 12 predetermined solid colors only, with optional symbols printed in the center area. These chips are only sold on the Sun-Fly casino products web site.

Polychrom is a plain smooth ceramic blank, which can be custom full-face printed (dye-sublimation) along with the rolling edge. Available for custom printed orders, plus they sell several different 39mm stock set designs on these blanks under the Apollon Classic product line.

Polyclay is a 39mm ceramic blank that contains molded images (diamonds, cards, swirls) around the chip circumference plus a molded-in center concentric ring. These chips are also full-face dye-sub printed, often with a printed design inside the center ring that resembles an inlay (but is actually just printed). There are three different mold designs available for customs, plus they sell three stock designs using these blanks (Lucid Diamonds, Ravenor, Ravenor Classic) under the Apollon Vintage product line.

Polyinno is a ceramic chip with a molded center recessed area. The chip face and edges are dye-sub printed, while the center recess area contains a laminated printed label. Available for customs in four styles (39mm and 43mm blanks with either small or large recess/label), plus three stock designs (Ascona, Dawning, Everest) are sold under the Apollon Hybrid product line.

In addition to the 39mm and 43mm products listed above, Sun-Fly also offers custom ceramic chips in 39mm and 43mm (smooth or textured finish) plus smooth-finish versions of 44mm round, 44mm hexagon, and 47mm round shapes. They also make custom ceramic plaques in nine sizes (5 rectangle, 4 oval) plus two custom dealer buttons (49mm and 60mm).

The sunflycasinochips.com link no longer works, but www.sunflycasinoequipment.com now connects to their casino and custom products web site, while www.apollonchips.com links to their consumer web site that contains all of the stock design sets.
 
Last edited:
BGinGA said:
^^ Nope, that is incorrect.

Sun-Fly products listed by cost (lowest to highest):

Polyspectra is a 39mm ceramic blank designed for the low-cost roulette chip market, available in two different molded polyclay mold designs (diamonds or cards) in 12 predetermined solid colors only, with optional symbols printed in the center area. These chips are only sold on the Sun-Fly casino products web site.

Polychrom is a plain smooth ceramic blank, which can be custom full-face printed (dye-sublimation) along with the rolling edge. Available for custom printed orders, plus they sell several different 39mm stock set designs on these blanks under the Apollon Classic product line.

Polyclay is a 39mm ceramic blank that contains molded images (diamonds, cards, swirls) around the chip circumference plus a molded-in center concentric ring. These chips are also full-face dye-sub printed, often with a printed design inside the center ring that resembles an inlay (but is actually just printed). There are three different mold designs available for customs, plus they sell three stock designs using these blanks (Lucid Diamonds, Ravenor, Ravenor Classic) under the Apollon Vintage product line.

Polyinno is a ceramic chip with a molded center recessed area. The chip face and edges are dye-sub printed, while the center recess area contains a laminated printed label. Available for customs in four styles (39mm and 43mm blanks with either small or large recess/label), plus three stock designs (Ascona, Dawning, Everest) are sold under the Apollon Hybrid product line.

In addition to the 39mm and 43mm products listed above, Sun-Fly also offers custom ceramic chips in 39mm and 43mm (smooth or textured finish) plus smooth-finish versions of 44mm round, 44mm hexagon, and 47mm round shapes. They also make custom ceramic plaques in nine sizes (5 rectangle, 4 oval) plus two custom dealer buttons (49mm and 60mm).

The sunflycasinochips.com link no longer works, but www.sunflycasinoequipment.com now connects to their casino and custom products web site, while www.apollonchips.com links to their consumer web site that contains all of the stock design sets.
Click to expand...
They should hire you to describe their products on their website
 
yeah, there you go. actually, they should get that invalid certificate thing taken care of.
 

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