Help identifying chips (1 Viewer)

[KingHigh]

Can anyone tell me about these chips? A local is selling them for $60 and I’m considering picking them up for collecting or resale. Thanks!

 

[Taghkanic]

They appear to be Bakelite or Catalin chips, probably from the 30s, 40s, or 50s.

You can always find them on eBay, because they were once produced in huge quantities, but are no longer in demand.

They contain some toxins as well, which are unlikely to be released unless you melt or grind them down.

Some of them are more marbled or translucent than others.

I kind of like the looks of them, and have posted here a few times that maybe they could become popular again someday, but few seem to agree…

I suppose you might be able to flip them for a small profit on eBay but it could take a long time, and be nothing to write home about. I don’t see these moving much on eBay.

The wood cases look pretty nice.

 

[allforcharity]

I wouldn't bother, unless you have a specific use for them.

 

[KingHigh]

They appear to be Bakelite or Catalin chips, probably from the 30s, 40s, or 50s.

You can always find them on eBay, because they were once produced in huge quantities, but are no longer in demand.

They contain some toxins as well, which are unlikely to be released unless you melt or grind them down.

Some of them are more marbled or translucent than others.

I kind of like the looks of them, and have posted here a few times that maybe they could become popular again someday, but few seem to agree…

I suppose you might be able to flip them for a small profit on eBay but it could take a long time, and be nothing to write home about. I don’t see these moving much on eBay.

The wood cases look pretty nice.

Interesting! Thank you for the info.

 

[Mushmanchuman]

They are cool and would look nice on a shelf, racked up or in a carousel: These would be a nice piece to show the history of chips and what different materials were used over the years.

A lot of new guys see old sets on Facebook and think they can come here and sell them for a huge profit. The only old sets that have much value are playable sets with denominations or sets that can be milled and re-labeled.

Anyone on PCF that is interested in old chips are already searching marketplace.

 

[ekricket]

There’s a lot more to these than just “old”. There are squared or rounded edges, and several different diameters depending on manufacturer. Materials differ, even though they look the same, some are older plastics, some are newer plastics. It’s definitely a niche collector thing.

 

[Mushmanchuman]

I should have put “old” in quotes. By “old” I meant all the things you mentioned. All the different materials, shapes and colors.

 

[Jeff in Iowa]

Sets of these swirled Bakelite chips sell rather consistently on eBay. With even large sets often getting about $1 per chip.

The odd thing is that I don't know of anyone that collects or uses bakelite poker chips. I've heard that these large lots are often bought by people who buy them to melt the Bakelite and use it for other purposes, most often in making jewelry. From what I understand, Bakelite is not typically made anymore, and it may be easiest to get it by buying old Bakelite items.

 

[KingHigh]

Sets of these swirled Bakelite chips sell rather consistently on eBay. With even large sets often getting about $1 per chip.

The odd thing is that I don't know of anyone that collects or uses bakelite poker chips. I've heard that these large lots are often bought by people who buy them to melt the Bakelite and use it for other purposes, most often in making jewelry. From what I understand, Bakelite is not typically made anymore, and may be easiest to get it by buying old Bakelite items.

Very interesting, thanks!