IMHO, when buying
CC's, the most important factor is
durability. Which, in this case, means they do not chip/degrade under
normal use. Feel free to read this
linked thread on durability and others on the forum, but from reading the tea leaves, it appears that all older (meaning not currently offered by vendors) CCs have had durability issues. Specifically, 8Vs (and similar), original Milanos, original Dunes CCs and original Pharaohs CCs.
After durability, again for me, it comes down to aesthetics. I happen to have sample sets of Milanos, Pharaohs, Dunes & Majestics and have attached a couple of pictures below. IMHO, each has pros & cons - Milanos are least expensive and overall a great design, Pharaohs come in many denominations, Dunes (my favorite) have a blue (vs. white) $1 and a $20 chip available and have the deepest engravings (least slippery), Majestics have bright colors, smaller labels (which means more revealed chip), are great for relabeling due to the variety of bright colors, and they have the squarest edges.
Note: the Majestics do have a strong smell.
Regarding the flat/square edge question, the Milanos, Pharaohs and Dunes are so close, that I'd call them the same with any differences within manufacturing tolerances. The Majestics are more flat/square for sure, but not completely flat like older 8Vs (and related CCs).
If I were buying
new CCs today:
Most bang for the buck --> Milanos
Best looking, feel, colors & denominations without customization --> Dunes
Best if not price sensitive which would permit custom labels & colors --> Majestics
(
Note: Any good, used set would likely upset this calculus!)
My final thought is that the current CCs are so close in design, feel & cost, that they are more similar than different. All are great for poker games.
P.S. That chipped Milano 25¢ is likely an older version.
P.P.S. All chips shown are the 25¢, $1, $5, $25 ($20 for Dunes) & $100 chips for each series.