Is it tacky to have a a variety of different chips for one set? (1 Viewer)

I am not a fan of mixing molds themselves, with the exception being mixed Paulson house-mold sets. I do love mixed sets with uniform molds (all RHC or all THC). A trip to this thread usually changes a lot of minds once you see what people are able to come up with or put together.
 
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My mixed set will be potentially spread at a chippers meetup game that Detroid Dad will be attending. I will report back with any complaints and/or castrations as a result. I mean, there could be other reasons for castrations, I won't report on that. (3 different chips, ALL DIFFERENT MOLDS).
 
I don’t have the link at my fingertips but at least one PCFer has a set with mixed $5’s in it. Nice.
 
For me a mixed set need to look good together. And not only in stacks, but the inlay design needs to look similar and/or have some common traits. I know opinions can differ on the importance of this, but for me its pretty much crucial.

I guess I would categorize the mixed sets on PCF in two different categories:
- Cheap sets that are put together to (quickly) make a playable set of high quality chips.
- Sets that are well thought through, visually appealing, and use chips that work well together. (IMO the people making these are not neccesarily looking for a cheap option)

I never was a fan of the first category, but I guess if your goal is to make a set on the cheap, it can certainly be an option. If I had a limited budget I would rather look at other options, like getting ceramics or another decent quality chip, like china clays (if you can stand the smell) or even visually appealing plastics.

For me a coherent look is more important than the "quality" of the chip.

cheap, visually appealing plastics are better than a random mix of casino used rhc from random casinos that noone has ever heard of, and with inlays that dont match up at all.
 
If they're gonna see the felt, consistency is of modest importance. The truth is though unless your game is comprised of a bunch of chippers, most people aren't going to care much about the chips you're using.

The only real hard and fast rule is don't mix clays and ceramics in the same set. This is akin to crossing the streams in your proton-packs - and according to the venerable @detroitdad - is a sin punishable by death or castration.

Correct! I don't mind mixing RHC and THC, or different clay chips. Ceramics and clays...............fuck that.
 
I am doing it a barrel at a time

10 different casinos of white chips, green, red and 2 barrels of black chips
al the 10 different white chips will have different edge spots but will be predominantly white..right now I have Harrah's, HSI, Jack Detroit and Cincinnati, lady luck, Mohegan, Circa

Most on hert will not like it, but then again it is what I want, my friends wont care one way or the other
I am trying to do it as cheap as possible, trying to stay under a $1.50 a chip if not lower

Good luck and you do you, make your self happy, you can always change directions and go another way if you start and don't like it
A barrel at a time is the way I want to build as well. If they don’t work in the set maybe they can be traded. Thanks for your Insight. CHEERS
 
The heart wants what the heart wants...

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If you have something that pulls them together, then no.

If you just happen to have fracs, 1s, 5s, and 100s from one set and 25s from another, yes.

Like mixed cash set of house molds from iconic vegas properties, the 1s from Mirage, the 5s from Ballys, the 25s from Caesars, that's cool. Having a mix of 1s from AC that are RHCs, 5s from some fantasy set, 25s that are ceramic, it's kinda like 'what are you doing?' You could go like 'I have all Caesars chips from different casinos all over the US and some are RHC, some are house mold, some are whatever. Like that makes some sense, but you have to pick up on it.

Also... like, at the end of the day, your set is for YOU. Your players won't notice unless they love chips too. Get the set that you like, that makes you happy. In the Vegas set above, PCF members would notice and think it was neat. Regular players might too, but just think you were a fan of Vegas, but it's about what enjoyment you get out of it.

Really mixed sets, like all white 1s but with all kinds of edge spots are cool, skittles set, super cool to chippies. I can imagine regular poker players just being kind of confused.
 
Doesn't matter if it's tacky. All that matters is whether you like it. There are no rules.

It's good to see what other people like; it can give you some inspiration, and it can deepen your own appreciation for the aesthetics involved. But tastes vary, and you'll need to find out what your own are. That's half the fun of the hobby.

You might discover you like having a complete mix of chips on the table! Bud Jones roulettes for the .25, live singles from six different casinos for the $1, china clays for the $5, ceramics for the $25, and an assortment of black leaded shaped inlay THCs for hundos! Go crazy if that's what floats your boat. It'll be a unique set, custom-assembled for your personal enjoyment, and with a backstory that's meaningful to you.
 
Personally I wouldn't do a set of mixed house molds either. Mixed casinos is fine, just want uniform molds
I get that perspective. I kinda felt that way myself before building my Vegas house mold set. But I love this set, and some of the guys in our group say it’s their favorite of all of my sets:
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I’m in the camp of “do whatever you like.” Personally, I like how this set came together. Chips look good together. Labels were designed to have some cohesion from chip to chip. And there’s a decent spot progression, at least from the frac to the $25.

But I get it if it’s not your thing.
 
The rub with mixed sets: different molds are often different widths. Furthermore, chips on the same mold can be different widths as a result of age & wear, or sometimes different manufacturers make different width chips for open molds like the diamond mold.
 
Happy to see the mixed $1s mixed sets becoming more of a thing.

I’m all in favor of mixed sets, including mixed molds, with the following exceptions:
-No mixed manufacturers
-No mixed clays & ceramics
-No multiple denominations from the same casino
-No mixed conditions (all mint/all good condition/all worn)

And I’m of the opinion that mixed mold sets should have different molds for each denomination (with the exception of mixed $1s/mixed molds within a denomination so I’m not a hypocrite)
 
Happy to see the mixed $1s mixed sets becoming more of a thing.
Hmm, I was just going to mention for newbs, that despite the amount of talk they’re getting in this thread, sets with all different $1s really aren’t a thing.
Of course, do what you like, and do whatever you want, because they’re your chips, but for a newb asking “what’s tacky,” just know that mixing different chips within the same denomination is not a common or popular thing to do. @Irish did it perfectly. I tried imitating it myself, this year, and really didn’t love it. Some others are doing it either as homage or because it’s easier/cheaper/different, but in the grand scheme of things at PCF, they’re still an outlier. Fro whatever that’s worth.
 
Hmm, I was just going to mention for newbs, that despite the amount of talk they’re getting in this thread, sets with all different $1s really aren’t a thing.
Of course, do what you like, and do whatever you want, because they’re your chips, but for a newb asking “what’s tacky,” just know that mixing different chips within the same denomination is not a common or popular thing to do. @Irish did it perfectly. I tried imitating it myself, this year, and really didn’t love it. Some others are doing it either as homage or because it’s easier/cheaper/different, but in the grand scheme of things at PCF, they’re still an outlier. Fro whatever that’s worth.
Hater ;)
 
To me is just depends on the looks. They can come from seperate backgrounds but still go together if the colors/marks are appropriate though it may be difficult.
 
I'm pretty new so apologies in advance!

I'm a big fan of having a collection of different chips on the side to flick through.

But for a set that you play with I think (personally) that a more consistent set feels nicer to play with. If you are creating a mixed set I'd try to at least keep it to chips from the same manufacturer to get some consistency. Otherwise I'd lean towards a non-mixed set in general. ... But aware mixed sets are popular so many will disagree!
 
New to the forum but intrigued by the idea of mixing sets just for style purposes. What is meant by 'same mold'? Same size or something different? Once I buy one denomination, how would I know if another set I'm looking at would closely match up?

These chips will be players so stacking integrity is somewhat important. Interested to learn more.
 
New to the forum but intrigued by the idea of mixing sets just for style purposes. What is meant by 'same mold'? Same size or something different? Once I buy one denomination, how would I know if another set I'm looking at would closely match up?

These chips will be players so stacking integrity is somewhat important. Interested to learn more.
Great source on molds: https://www.antiquegamblingchips.com/molddesignindex_site.htm

I tried mixing molds- it failed for me. The diameters were slightly off, and it was really noticeable. In some cases, the thickness will be off.

I suspect most (all?) house molds are made by Paulson and would use an otherwise standard mold size, keeping diameter and thickness similar. @wonderpuddle might be able to confirm with some measurements.
 

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