Paulson Casino de Isthmus chips - highly coveted, semi-rare, or just a plain ol’ set? (1 Viewer)

Talrem

Two Pair
Joined
May 20, 2021
Messages
436
Reaction score
356
Location
Staten Island, NY
Howdy folks!
New member here looking to learn more about chip sets produced different companies. I’m sure you‘re all familiar with the Casino de Isthmus set based on the James Bond flick. I know that Paulson and BCC put out similar sets with different molds and inlays. I‘ve got a few questions about this set...
1. Who made it first - Paulson or BCC?
2. Which release is more popular/coveted and why?
3. Is $3k a decent price for a tourney set of 1000 Paulson-made chips?

Thanks for the info!
174FED61-8F2C-4728-8043-A8B73F470D2C.jpeg

VS.
0E550338-505C-4ECD-8067-A7E224D7EF82.jpeg
 
Hey @Talrem , the first common series was the 98' THC version. I believe then the 05s you have shown there on the Paulson Home mold. then BCC but even I am not sure on that!

I own the 05s as well.
20210110_134837.jpg

The prices seem to vary with these chips... what it cost me on average for the tourney denoms was about
T25 - $2.50 - $3 per chip
T100 - $2.50 - $3 per chip
T500 - $3.50 - $4 per chip
T1000 - $3.75 - $4.25 per chip
I paid more for some and less for others but in general around $3 a chip is a great price if it has a bu ch of T1ks in the set.

These chips brought me to PCF and I love them, but in general they are viewed as a cheaper low end Paulson chip, still Paulsons, still awesome but many view them as a stepping stone in ones chipping journey.

On eBay in small lots they are still in very high demand sometimes bringing insane purchase prices
Screenshot_20210507-093233_eBay.jpg

But around here they usually sell for less. I may be the only one that still loves them! Lol

Hope that helps!
Ben
 
To answer the question in the title - You will find many people all camps. I can make some guesses at the motivations that would separate the average chipper into these categories:

A) Highly coveted - I don't think there's a single chipper in this category that is not a James Bond fan. Of course, there are fans and there are FANS, but the truth is that the design and production was to satisfy this demographic. If you don't like the franchise, there is no reason to gravitate to this chip series in particular. But there are enough to create that demand that you hardly ever see sets for sale because they get snapped up quickly. It doesn't hurt that the 98s are leaded THC, either.

B) Semi-rare - These are not considered rare chips by any means, considering how many were likely produced and sold to the general public for years and years and years. But, like I said, they get snapped up quickly when they show up for sale, which gives them the perception of rarity. Not a lot of members sell their sets - lots of chips come in from the great wide world (in a steady trickle, if not a stream).

C) Plain ol' set - Lots of reasons for people to regard them in this category. Fantasy set. 05s are Paulson house mold with identical spot patterns. Doesn't have that air of 'exclusivity'. Some don't like the inlay graphics. Others don't give a rat's ass about the James Bond connection. Market price used to be way less than what it is now, so at one point was not considered premium from a cost POV.

To answer your other questions:

1) THC mold came first (CDI98), then Paulson house mold (CDI05), then BCC. Note that BCC spot patterns roughly copy the original THC ones, while all the 05 series are 4D14.

2) See above post A

3) Assuming Ex-NM condition, $3000 for 1000 CDI98 tourney chips would be awesome, for 1000 CDI05 would be reasonable, for 1000 BCC would be very expensive.
 
Hey @Talrem , the first common series was the 98' THC version. I believe then the 05s you have shown there on the Paulson Home mold. then BCC but even I am not sure on that!

I own the 05s as well.
View attachment 711148
The prices seem to vary with these chips... what it cost me on average for the tourney denoms was about
T25 - $2.50 - $3 per chip
T100 - $2.50 - $3 per chip
T500 - $3.50 - $4 per chip
T1000 - $3.75 - $4.25 per chip
I paid more for some and less for others but in general around $3 a chip is a great price if it has a bu ch of T1ks in the set.

These chips brought me to PCF and I love them, but in general they are viewed as a cheaper low end Paulson chip, still Paulsons, still awesome but many view them as a stepping stone in ones chipping journey.

On eBay in small lots they are still in very high demand sometimes bringing insane purchase prices
View attachment 711161
But around here they usually sell for less. I may be the only one that still loves them! Lol

Hope that helps!
Ben
I’ve always liked the Paulson style, I can’t really say why. It’s something about the colors and edge spots that‘s aesthetically pleasing to me. I’m asking because I don’t know, if different companies make the same-themed chip, which would be more valued as a collector’s item. I honestly don’t even know the rankings of chip-making companies (if they even ARE ranked). It wouldn’t be surprising if company is preferred/values solely on a print itself.

I think part of my being here is to learn the history and value of the chips and the companies that produce them, as well as to appreciate them for their aesthetics.

Thanks to @FordPickup92 for directing @Ben8257 here to provide the info!
Much appreciated, you two!
 
I'm probably in the minority. But for me the progression of best set from top to bottom is:

98 Paulsons > BCCs > 05 Paulsons

No question the 98s are the best of the trio.

For me, the BCC set is better than the 05 set. Due to the better spot progression than the 05s. And also, just not a fan of the 05 Paulson mold.

A lot of oblong inlays with the BCC set though.
 
What about the ‘98’s. Hat and cane Paulson round inlay and the shaped inlays. @allforcharity .. is one more rare than the other??

Oh yes, the shaped inlay THC chips are much less available than the shaped inlay chips, for sure. Now, having said that, coming across shaped inlay $25, $100, and $500 isn't quite as rare as you might think, but it would be a minor challenge to assemble full racks of them.

The shaped inlay $5 is the rarest of all of these. I've never even seen a full barrel in one spot, never mind a full rack. I have 17, myself, and that is thanks to the generosity of another member here.
 
To answer the question in the title - You will find many people all camps. I can make some guesses at the motivations that would separate the average chipper into these categories:

A) Highly coveted - I don't think there's a single chipper in this category that is not a James Bond fan. Of course, there are fans and there are FANS, but the truth is that the design and production was to satisfy this demographic. If you don't like the franchise, there is no reason to gravitate to this chip series in particular. But there are enough to create that demand that you hardly ever see sets for sale because they get snapped up quickly. It doesn't hurt that the 98s are leaded THC, either.

B) Semi-rare - These are not considered rare chips by any means, considering how many were likely produced and sold to the general public for years and years and years. But, like I said, they get snapped up quickly when they show up for sale, which gives them the perception of rarity. Not a lot of members sell their sets - lots of chips come in from the great wide world (in a steady trickle, if not a stream).

C) Plain ol' set - Lots of reasons for people to regard them in this category. Fantasy set. 05s are Paulson house mold with identical spot patterns. Doesn't have that air of 'exclusivity'. Some don't like the inlay graphics. Others don't give a rat's ass about the James Bond connection. Market price used to be way less than what it is now, so at one point was not considered premium from a cost POV.

To answer your other questions:

1) THC mold came first (CDI98), then Paulson house mold (CDI05), then BCC. Note that BCC spot patterns roughly copy the original THC ones, while all the 05 series are 4D14.

2) See above post A

3) Assuming Ex-NM condition, $3000 for 1000 CDI98 tourney chips would be awesome, for 1000 CDI05 would be reasonable, for 1000 BCC would be very expensive.
This is some great info @allforcharity! I appreciate the education. Some acronyms are puzzling - like what 4D14 stands for - but I’ll figure it out (hopefully!). If these companies made similar editions of the same theme, I’d love to learn about and compare other editions printed by multiple companies too!
 
I'm probably in the minority. But for me the progression of best set from top to bottom is:

98 Paulsons > BCCs > 05 Paulsons

No question the 98s are the best of the trio.

For me, the BCC set is better than the 05 set. Due to the better spot progression than the 05s. And also, just not a fan of the 05 Paulson mold.

A lot of oblong inlays with the BCC set though.
I like how the BCC inlays are larger, but they did seem kinda off.
 
Well obviously I love the chips! The 05s from my understanding are the "most produced fantasy line chips" ever made. Therefore not ever going to call them rare, but also I would say limited as far as how often they hit the sales market.

One thing I learned on the journey of building this momster set... I was always curious why soo many of the sets seemed to be soo limited in the $1k chip? Was it the Arch Yellow color? Well no it wasn't, again from my understanding in 2005 (I was playing home tourneys then) the majority of tournament sets wereT5 based and not yet into the T25 base that is so common now! (Hell now many casinos and home games are going with a T100 base chip based off of efficiency... basically the 100 has much more use than the limited T25 that is typically removed relatively quickly in the game.

Anyways because the majority of home game holsters were running T5 based tourneys there was far less demand for that Denomination of chip. (Typically in a single table game with a T5 base you don't need any or many T1000s) so they didnt manufacture as many ofthat high denom chip.

The BCC version did not used to carry as much value but they are pretty highly sought after now as BCC chips are getting scooped up! A bit lighter but also a bit more rigid or dense compared to the other two Paulsin versions;

Ben
 
This is some great info @allforcharity! I appreciate the education. Some acronyms are puzzling - like what 4D14 stands for - but I’ll figure it out (hopefully!). If these companies made similar editions of the same theme, I’d love to learn about and compare other editions printed by multiple companies too!

If any of the info helped you, then I'm glad! (I'll be even more glad if that info is correct!) As far as edge spot abbreviations, I'm an amateur, but CPC on their website has some acronyms based on their most common spot patterns from level 1 through 7, so you can take a look at that list and compare.

I know that one company, Da Vinci, makes a set of mass produced BLIMP chips that used a similar inlay design, colour scheme, and text to the CDIs. Wouldn't touch those with a 20' pole, but that's really the snob in me talking.
 
I like how the BCC inlays are larger, but they did seem kinda off.
Yeah. That was the problem with BCC. There was a real lack of quality control. Misshapen inlays was very common on their earlier sets. They seemed to get better later on.

Print quality of the actual inlays was also inconsistent. If you look at the Protege line of BCC chips you'll see the wide array of QC issues.

But when they nailed a set they really did a great job. Once you peruse the galleries and pics on this site you'll see some pretty amazing custom sets they produced.
 
Some acronyms are puzzling - like what 4D14 stands for - but I’ll figure it out (hopefully!).
Yeah, that was a head-scratcher for me too until I broke the code. In this example:

4 means there are four positions with spots.
D means each spot position is a double-spot, i.e. there are two different colors side-by-side in each of the four positions.
14 means each individual spot component is 1/4" wide. 18 is 1/8", 38 is 3/8", 16 is 1/6", 316 is 3/16" and so forth.

BUT! You don't have to puzzle them all out, because we have a handy dandy spot reference sheet!

Some of the other letter codes used there are:
T - The spot is a triple-spot
V - The spot is a V-shaped wedge instead of the usual rectangle
W - The spot is a fat wedge with a small stripe in the middle
HC - The spot is a half-circle
S - There are spaces between the spot components

Classic Poker Chips uses a similar but not strictly identical naming convention, which you can see here.
 
Yeah, that was a head-scratcher for me too until I broke the code. In this example:

4 means there are four positions with spots.
D means each spot position is a double-spot, i.e. there are two different colors side-by-side in each of the four positions.
14 means each individual spot component is 1/4" wide. 18 is 1/8", 38 is 3/8", 16 is 1/6", 316 is 3/16" and so forth.

BUT! You don't have to puzzle them all out, because we have a handy dandy spot reference sheet!

Some of the other letter codes used there are:
T - The spot is a triple-spot
V - The spot is a V-shaped wedge instead of the usual rectangle
W - The spot is a fat wedge with a small stripe in the middle
HC - The spot is a half-circle
S - There are spaces between the spot components

Classic Poker Chips uses a similar but not strictly identical naming convention, which you can see here.
Thanks for the info! I’ve learned a lot!
 
I know that one company, Da Vinci, makes a set of mass produced BLIMP chips that used a similar inlay design, colour scheme, and text to the CDIs. Wouldn't touch those with a 20' pole, but that's really the snob in me talking.
Da Vinci Imports also offered one of the earliest china clay sets with spots and colors similar to the GPI/Paulson/Trademark 2005 version of the Casino de Isthmus City chips. They featured very similar artwork but were identified as 'Casino da Vinci', produced by Eastony Industries on the spirit mold.

The original Paulson CdIC home market set was first sold in 1998 in their Las Vegas and Atlantic City Paulson stores (nearly 10 years after the film Licence to Kill was released in 1989). The GPi-produced chips were first made available in 2005, and the china clay CdV 'tributes' were first seen around in 2007 or so. I don't recall when BCC first released their flame mold version, but it was certainly after the GPI set (PAULSON CHIPS mold) was introduced.

Paulson also created a small set of CdIC chips for the Licence to Kill film production (1988) that featured unique spots/colors with red text shaped inlays. They only appeared in the opening credits (not the body of the film itself) and are pretty scarce, with single chips commanding high prices among collectors.
 
Da Vinci Imports also offered one of the earliest china clay sets with spots and colors similar to the GPI/Paulson/Trademark 2005 version of the Casino de Isthmus City chips. They featured very similar artwork but were identified as 'Casino da Vinci', produced by Eastony Industries on the spirit mold.

The original Paulson CdIC home market set was first sold in 1998 in their Las Vegas and Atlantic City Paulson stores (nearly 10 years after the film Licence to Kill was released in 1989). The GPi-produced chips were first made available in 2005, and the china clay CdV 'tributes' were first seen around in 2007 or so. I don't recall when BCC first released their flame mold version, but it was certainly after the GPI set (PAULSON CHIPS mold) was introduced.

Paulson also created a small set of CdIC chips for the Licence to Kill film production (1988) that featured unique spots/colors with red text shaped inlays. They only appeared in the opening credits (not the body of the film itself) and are pretty scarce, with single chips commanding high prices among collectors.
Dave you forgot.... mic drop! at the end of that one sir! Excellent review and very informative sir!
 
The font size of the denom on the BCC inlay looks a lot larger compared to the Paulsons as well. There also seems to be a little more white space around the perimeter of the inlay in the Paulsons as well.
Yeah, that was a head-scratcher for me too until I broke the code. In this example:

4 means there are four positions with spots.
D means each spot position is a double-spot, i.e. there are two different colors side-by-side in each of the four positions.
14 means each individual spot component is 1/4" wide. 18 is 1/8", 38 is 3/8", 16 is 1/6", 316 is 3/16" and so forth.

BUT! You don't have to puzzle them all out, because we have a handy dandy spot reference sheet!

Some of the other letter codes used there are:
T - The spot is a triple-spot
V - The spot is a V-shaped wedge instead of the usual rectangle
W - The spot is a fat wedge with a small stripe in the middle
HC - The spot is a half-circle
S - There are spaces between the spot components

Classic Poker Chips uses a similar but not strictly identical naming convention, which you can see here.
What is A?
Seems to only follow T
 
The original CDI chips in the LTK movie have red and black for the design. ( the black inlay were the roulette NCV chips)
 

Attachments

  • prop282scan2.jpg
    prop282scan2.jpg
    16.4 KB · Views: 140
  • prop284scan1.jpg
    prop284scan1.jpg
    12.8 KB · Views: 131
  • prop285scan1.jpg
    prop285scan1.jpg
    12.5 KB · Views: 133
  • prop287scan1.jpg
    prop287scan1.jpg
    12.3 KB · Views: 133
In the movie, the scene in the casino where JB is playing blackjack with plaques has some shots with the dealer tray full of chips, but no really clear shot of the faces to see if they match the above.
 
Da Vinci Imports also offered one of the earliest china clay sets with spots and colors similar to the GPI/Paulson/Trademark 2005 version of the Casino de Isthmus City chips. They featured very similar artwork but were identified as 'Casino da Vinci', produced by Eastony Industries on the spirit mold.

The original Paulson CdIC home market set was first sold in 1998 in their Las Vegas and Atlantic City Paulson stores (nearly 10 years after the film Licence to Kill was released in 1989). The GPi-produced chips were first made available in 2005, and the china clay CdV 'tributes' were first seen around in 2007 or so. I don't recall when BCC first released their flame mold version, but it was certainly after the GPI set (PAULSON CHIPS mold) was introduced.

Paulson also created a small set of CdIC chips for the Licence to Kill film production (1988) that featured unique spots/colors with red text shaped inlays. They only appeared in the opening credits (not the body of the film itself) and are pretty scarce, with single chips commanding high prices among collectors.
Now that’s something! I wonder who’s got the movie prop chips with the red text. They probably won’t ever sell them unless they’re going broke!

I wonder if there are other movies with poker chip props that might be out there somewhere...
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top Bottom