Grading assistance needed (1 Viewer)

[PokerMike]

Hi all!

Would a few of you pros give me some grading assistance.

Is there a grade table or chart available? With pics would be great.

I have been buying quite a bit and find that people have vastly different opinions of chips condition.

Please help.

Thanks

Mike

 

[FDLmold]

I had a seller use "fresh" on a chip description recently. WTF is a fresh chip?

These work well: http://www.ccgtcc.com/education/conditions.pdf

 

[PokerMike]

Also, is it possible to have a chip in "near mint" condition that is dirty??

I only know how coins are graded and cleaning a coin basically devalues the coin by up to 90%.

 

[PokerMike]

I had a seller use "fresh" on a chip description recently. WTF is a fresh chip?

These work well: http://www.ccgtcc.com/education/conditions.pdf

Thanks!

Is that a widely used rule of thumb?
Because I dont see the words ppl use on this website. Mint / Near Mint / Excellent bla bla bla

 

[PokerMike]

I had a seller use "fresh" on a chip description recently. WTF is a fresh chip?

These work well: http://www.ccgtcc.com/education/conditions.pdf

Lol fresh

 

[abby99]

"Mint" has at least two different meanings. Brand new (never played with, shuffled, or oiled), and played with but with sharp edges.

Rely on photos, and ask questions.

 

[PokerMike]

I guess I assumed that chip collecting probably started right after the first casino opened its doors. With that, also assumed that there was a very specific grading terminology like in coin or stamp collecting.

Is there a company that will slab and grade a casino/poker chip?

 

[bentax1978]

Rely on photos, and ask questions.

This.

 

[PokerMike]

How do you as a buyer deal with misgraded chips?

For example: you are sold chips as mint/near mint and when stacked you can see the notches where the paulson hat is. Could that chip still be mint/near mint

 

[PokerMike]

"Mint" has at least two different meanings. Brand new (never played with, shuffled, or oiled), and played with but with sharp edges.

Rely on photos, and ask questions.

Thanks

 

[FDLmold]

Slab is a four letter word. Seriously. At least in the casino chip hobby.

 

[PokerMike]

Slab is a four letter word. Seriously. At least in the casino chip hobby.

Why is that?

 

[bentax1978]

Why is that?

For one, it's difficult to shuffle slabbed chips.

For more reasons/opinions, click here.

 

[Psypher1000]

Why is that?

There's two primary reasons: 1) Because cards and coins can be made to exacting specifications, but chips cannot (they go through a very manual, human process rather than the machine processes that create and package chips/cards), thus the standards of "mint", "proof", and grading that are applied to cards and coins don't really have a proper equivalent in the chipping world, and 2) Chipping as a hobby doesn't have enough bona fide grading experts to make the slabbed grade actually mean anything.

You asked earlier about dirt and/or cleaning devaluing a chip. A dirty chip in SU condition should be worth an equivalent value as the same chip in SU condition but relatively clean. That said, the cleaner chip can likely fetch a higher value on the open market to the right party. Some collectors don't like vintage chips to be clean unless they are in new/uncirculated condition because they feel it makes the chip look fake. Others want their used chips just as clean as new chips. There's no agreed upon standard here, other than that grime doesn't devalue a chip unless it physically damages the chip (such as if it leaves a stain, erodes the chip, etc).

The link you were provided above contains the same grades, standards, and terminology adopted by the two most widely-referenced price guides, The Chip Rack, and The Official US Casino Chip Price Guide (the latter of which is no longer being updated), and is what is most appropriate to use when describing conditions of single chips. Those are the standards set forth by the Casino Collectibles Association, also known as the CC&GTCC, which is an officially recognized association by the American Numismatic Association.

When discussing singles, please try to reference them according to the standards contained in that link. When discussing sets or chips in quantity, you've been guided very wisely to simply look at pictures and ask questions. I would caution you against using the term "mint" in regards to chips, regardless of quantity, as none actually are - all compression clay chips have been handled multiple time by human hands, and largely in dirty conditions.

For more information about the Casino Collectibles Association, please head over to this link: http://www.ccgtcc.com/

 

[PokerMike]

There's two primary reasons: 1) Because cards and coins can be made to exacting specifications, but chips cannot (they go through a very manual, human process rather than the machine processes that create and package chips/cards), thus the standards of "mint", "proof", and grading that are applied to cards and coins don't really have a proper equivalent in the chipping world, and 2) Chipping as a hobby doesn't have enough bona fide grading experts to make the slabbed grade actually mean anything.

You asked earlier about dirt and/or cleaning devaluing a chip. A dirty chip in SU condition should be worth an equivalent value as the same chip in SU condition but relatively clean. That said, the cleaner chip can likely fetch a higher value on the open market to the right party. Some collectors don't like vintage chips to be clean unless they are in new/uncirculated condition because they feel it makes the chip look fake. Others want their used chips just as clean as new chips. There's no agreed upon standard here, other than that grime doesn't devalue a chip unless it physically damages the chip (such as if it leaves a stain, erodes the chip, etc).

The link you were provided above contains the same grades, standards, and terminology adopted by the two most widely-referenced price guides, The Chip Rack, and The Official US Casino Chip Price Guide (the latter of which is no longer being updated), and is what is most appropriate to use when describing conditions of single chips. Those are the standards set forth by the Casino Collectibles Association, also known as the CC&GTCC, which is an officially recognized association by the American Numismatic Association.

When discussing singles, please try to reference them according to the standards contained in that link. When discussing sets or chips in quantity, you've been guided very wisely to simply look at pictures and ask questions. I would caution you against using the term "mint" in regards to chips, regardless of quantity, as none actually are - all compression clay chips have been handled multiple time by human hands, and largely in dirty conditions.

For more information about the Casino Collectibles Association, please head over to this link: http://www.ccgtcc.com/

While I accept your well thought out and detailed explanation, if the hobby were to gain mass interest, a very strict grading effort would certainly need to be established.

Thank you very much!

 

[Josh Kifer]

For one, it's difficult to shuffle slabbed chips.

For more reasons/opinions, click here.

This.

 

[Pokerdweebz]

Thanks for making me frantically check my PMs....I knew I had been talking to you but forgot if I sold you anything. I didn't

 

[PokerMike]

Thanks for making me frantically check my PMs....I knew I had been talking to you but forgot if I sold you anything. I didn't

lol

 

[BGinGA]

a very strict grading effort would certainly need to be established be impossible and totally unnecessary.

FYP

 

[upNdown]

While I accept your well thought out and detailed explanation, if the hobby were to gain mass interest, a very strict grading effort would certainly need to be established.

Thank you very much!

To some extent, you're barking up the wrong tree here. Some people here collect singles, but the majority of people here collect chips to play with them. In that regard, we don't care about exacting grading standards.