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So now I have multiple options to choose from, as far as trying to color match this chipset:
Paulson Color Verification Chart (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Taghkanic
- Start date
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I’m left to speculate: Are these chips Red? Royal Red? Cherry? Carnation? Watermelon?
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So I just received a wonderful Paulson color sample set, purchased from a PCF member. I am amazed at the beauty of these chips; it’s testament to both what can be accomplished with quality pigments in clay, and the artistry of Paulson’s designers.
This has allowed me to positively ID the color of *most* of my Starbursts. However, I remain perplexed about several of my chipsets. Even allowing for variation in batches, and for the difference which cleaning/oiling can make in a color, I am at a loss to make a firm ID. In the next post, I’ll post both the matches and the mystery colors...
This has allowed me to positively ID the color of *most* of my Starbursts. However, I remain perplexed about several of my chipsets. Even allowing for variation in batches, and for the difference which cleaning/oiling can make in a color, I am at a loss to make a firm ID. In the next post, I’ll post both the matches and the mystery colors...
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So, first let’s start with the positive IDs. Note that all of my chips were purchased used, with varying degrees of wear. They were all cleaned and oiled after purchase, which generally deepened and enriched their color slightly. The Starbursts are mine; the labeled chips are, of course the samples.
1. MATCHES
You can see the effect of oiling all but the Black chips—in each case, it makes the color slightly darker and generally more vibrant. (Taking this photo also made me belatedly realize that my Blurples are an overprint stamp, though I can’t make out what’s underneath.)
1. MATCHES
You can see the effect of oiling all but the Black chips—in each case, it makes the color slightly darker and generally more vibrant. (Taking this photo also made me belatedly realize that my Blurples are an overprint stamp, though I can’t make out what’s underneath.)
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2. CLOSE MATCHES
With my greens and reds, I am 90% sure that Cherry and Dark Green are correct color IDs. In both cases, the oiling appears to have significantly darkened and intensified the color. But no other come close, and I’m reasonably confident that if I were to oil the samples these would be essentially identical, apart from manufacturing variations.
With my greens and reds, I am 90% sure that Cherry and Dark Green are correct color IDs. In both cases, the oiling appears to have significantly darkened and intensified the color. But no other come close, and I’m reasonably confident that if I were to oil the samples these would be essentially identical, apart from manufacturing variations.
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3-A. MYSTERIES
With this Starburst (lower left), I could not find any chips in the set which were a close match. One theory was that this was a manufacturing variation on Showboat Grey, but in person they are not close. Neither is Charcoal (much darker than the Starburst, even without oiling and Grey (much lighter, but closer in tone). The Grey and this Starburst set have a colder, bluer undertone than either the Charcoal or Showboat Grey. It is possible this was a custom color, or a major tinting discrepancy at the factory. Or maybe it’s a knockoff, or I am missing something from my set...
With this Starburst (lower left), I could not find any chips in the set which were a close match. One theory was that this was a manufacturing variation on Showboat Grey, but in person they are not close. Neither is Charcoal (much darker than the Starburst, even without oiling and Grey (much lighter, but closer in tone). The Grey and this Starburst set have a colder, bluer undertone than either the Charcoal or Showboat Grey. It is possible this was a custom color, or a major tinting discrepancy at the factory. Or maybe it’s a knockoff, or I am missing something from my set...
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3-B. MYSTERIES
Like the various grays above, I am at a loss to ID the color of the Starburst at the lower left. None of these come close. The Starburst is a hotter color than any of these three options. It is obviously much lighter than Royal Red, even with oiling, and less pink than Radiant Red or Salmon.
Like the various grays above, I am at a loss to ID the color of the Starburst at the lower left. None of these come close. The Starburst is a hotter color than any of these three options. It is obviously much lighter than Royal Red, even with oiling, and less pink than Radiant Red or Salmon.
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3-C. MYSTERIES
Here, I lean toward this possibly being Pumpkin; oiling the sample might bring it closer to the color of the Starburst. But it would really need to darken considerably to match up. I again wonder how much variation there was at the Paulson factory, how often they made custom colors, or whether there was really enough incentive for anyone to produce knock-offs. Another possibility is that Paulson changed its formulas over time.
Here, I lean toward this possibly being Pumpkin; oiling the sample might bring it closer to the color of the Starburst. But it would really need to darken considerably to match up. I again wonder how much variation there was at the Paulson factory, how often they made custom colors, or whether there was really enough incentive for anyone to produce knock-offs. Another possibility is that Paulson changed its formulas over time.
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4. ODDS & ENDS
I post this just to show how close a few of the Paulson samples are in color. Even taking them around the house to view in various types of light, I would be hard pressed to distinguish this Dolphin Blue sample from the Desert Flower one. They aren’t absolutely identical—Desert Flower might have a slightly more purple undertone be a little “dustier”—but they are darned close.
I post this just to show how close a few of the Paulson samples are in color. Even taking them around the house to view in various types of light, I would be hard pressed to distinguish this Dolphin Blue sample from the Desert Flower one. They aren’t absolutely identical—Desert Flower might have a slightly more purple undertone be a little “dustier”—but they are darned close.
Your sample set may be flawed. There is a huge difference between desert flower and dolphin blue.... both in actual production chips, and in my Paulson color sample set.
To me, your desert flower chip appears to be dolphin blue.
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Hmmm... Very possible. They don’t look absolutely identical in person, but very close. How would you characterize the difference in color?
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Another Paulson color mystery... I recently bought a small lot of gray THC starbursts. Of course as soon as they arrived, I went to my sample set to ID the color.
None of my samples seemed to match up. I brought out some other gray chips in my collection, which track with the samples... See below; I took two shots in different light, against dark and white backgrounds.
On the left is an (oiled) chip which is reasonably close to my Showboat Grey sample. On the right is another (oiled) chip, an even better match for Charcoal. (The oiling seems to make colors slightly richer and darker, so these line up.)
But what about the chip in the middle? It isn’t anywhere close to plain Grey; it’s almost closer to charcoal, but really isn’t even a distant match in person. I also tried Metallic Grey. This is more of a battleship grey with slightly colder/bluer undertones.
Am I missing a sample, or is this just an example of the variation in batches?
None of my samples seemed to match up. I brought out some other gray chips in my collection, which track with the samples... See below; I took two shots in different light, against dark and white backgrounds.
On the left is an (oiled) chip which is reasonably close to my Showboat Grey sample. On the right is another (oiled) chip, an even better match for Charcoal. (The oiling seems to make colors slightly richer and darker, so these line up.)
But what about the chip in the middle? It isn’t anywhere close to plain Grey; it’s almost closer to charcoal, but really isn’t even a distant match in person. I also tried Metallic Grey. This is more of a battleship grey with slightly colder/bluer undertones.
Am I missing a sample, or is this just an example of the variation in batches?
Attachments
justsomedude
Straight Flush
The chips on the ends just look like variations between batches, at least to me.
The middle chips look like completely different colors. Could be pre and post-lead-ban chip formulas. Have you tried weighing them?
Chips with lead in the formula top the scales at 10.5-11.5 grams. Unleaded Paulson chips average in at 8.5-9.5 grams.
Some of the leaded chips definitely have different shades compared to their post-lead-ban counterparts.
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They are definitely different colors. I was just including regular Grey for point of comparison, and because it is the only other grey in my sample set which is not the other two on the ends (Showboat, Charcoal).
justsomedude
Straight Flush
Did you weigh them?
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The scale I have does not seem to be accurate enough to get a consistent weight on these. Will try to find something better.
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In my continued fixation on (mania about) Paulson chip colors, I’ve acquired a few more samples... Below are some more miscellaneous observations based on comparing duplicate samples—some of which do not match up.
My goal here has been to be able to buy and sell Paulson TH&Cs with more confidence that I can either add to an existing set, or sell a color to a buyer with a correct color ID. I am starting to wonder if that is really possible. But FWIW...
As you will see from the notes below, there seems to be more variation in the colors of chips with red pigments as part of their formulation. Chips where the samples (and my own Starbursts) vary noticeably are most often reds, pinks and purples.
* Red - I have three samples labeled just “Red,” and each one is different. One is a more rusty red, another more of a fire engine red, and the third more of deeper crimson red.
* Hawaii Flower - I have two samples, one more purplish, the other more pinkish;
* Rose - One is more red, the other more purple;
* Orchid - A very noticeable difference in two samples, one with a more purple cast, the other rose-ish;
* Lavender - Again, a more purple vs. a more pink variation;
* Plum - One is darker and more saturated than its dustier counterpart;
* Orange - One is a deeper, more intense orange;
* Dark Blue - One is more cyan/royal, the other more navy;
* Sherbet Green - Three chips, two identical, one more fluorescent;
* Chocolate and Maroon appear to be very similar colors under most lighting conditions.
Note: Once I have two full sets of samples, I plan to sell one, but I need to find about 25-30 more to have duplicates of each.
My goal here has been to be able to buy and sell Paulson TH&Cs with more confidence that I can either add to an existing set, or sell a color to a buyer with a correct color ID. I am starting to wonder if that is really possible. But FWIW...
As you will see from the notes below, there seems to be more variation in the colors of chips with red pigments as part of their formulation. Chips where the samples (and my own Starbursts) vary noticeably are most often reds, pinks and purples.
* Red - I have three samples labeled just “Red,” and each one is different. One is a more rusty red, another more of a fire engine red, and the third more of deeper crimson red.
* Hawaii Flower - I have two samples, one more purplish, the other more pinkish;
* Rose - One is more red, the other more purple;
* Orchid - A very noticeable difference in two samples, one with a more purple cast, the other rose-ish;
* Lavender - Again, a more purple vs. a more pink variation;
* Plum - One is darker and more saturated than its dustier counterpart;
* Orange - One is a deeper, more intense orange;
* Dark Blue - One is more cyan/royal, the other more navy;
* Sherbet Green - Three chips, two identical, one more fluorescent;
* Chocolate and Maroon appear to be very similar colors under most lighting conditions.
Note: Once I have two full sets of samples, I plan to sell one, but I need to find about 25-30 more to have duplicates of each.
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I have 6+ barrels of a hot red Starburst THC chip, whose color truly baffles me. The red is super-intense.
I have three (count ’em, three) sample sets, and the only color which comes even close is Radiant Red. But my Radiant samples are much duller than these chips.
The intensity of the color is similar to the intensity Hot Pink—but this is definitely a red color, not pink.
So did Paulson make some other shades of red that I’ve missed, maybe late in the home chip game? Is Carnation that hot of a red?
I have three (count ’em, three) sample sets, and the only color which comes even close is Radiant Red. But my Radiant samples are much duller than these chips.
The intensity of the color is similar to the intensity Hot Pink—but this is definitely a red color, not pink.
So did Paulson make some other shades of red that I’ve missed, maybe late in the home chip game? Is Carnation that hot of a red?
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I had a kind of bonkers idea about this color verification problem, which is kind of a variation on your gray card suggestion... Would be interested to get your reaction.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/the-froot-loop-solootion.33519/
moose
4 of a Kind
I find that stacking the chips together and then wetting the rolling edge of all the chips at once helps match them
You can send me one of your starburst chips that you cannot ID and I will let you know what it is. Used chips tend to look darker. Colors from Paulson change over many years. Their new fuchsia is not as bright as fuchsia from the past.
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Thanks for the offer—but I have three Paulson sample sets, so the problem is not so much on my end, but with sellers who are unsure of what they are selling, and don’t have equipment/skills to help make a firm identification.
I have just in the past month because of this problem walked away from one purchase (on eBay), made another which turned out to be the wrong color, and am on hold with a third because the seller is unsure of the color and their pictures are completely unhelpful...
I have just in the past month because of this problem walked away from one purchase (on eBay), made another which turned out to be the wrong color, and am on hold with a third because the seller is unsure of the color and their pictures are completely unhelpful...
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Moving this comment from another thread (about Starburst prices) ... This relates to a batch of 59 Paulson THC solid Starbursts I recently bought speculatively off eBay just because the price under $1 per chip, and I have various Purples and Lilacs I’d like to round out to fuller racks. I’m hoping to salvage maybe 35-40 of these for incorporation in my existing sets.
The seller wrongly called them “Blurples,” but I knew before buying that s/he was wrong about that.
So below are some pics, for what they’re worth, of this batch pre-cleaning and oiling... These notes are mainly intended to highlight how tricky it can be to collect these chips and find color matches.
* As the pic showing how they were shipped indicates, there is a lot of variation here. Also some flea bites and spinners.
* There appear to be two main colors, breaking down to 35 lighter ones, and 24 slightly darker ones. However, there may be 3 or even 4 shades here.
* As always with Paulson solids, especially in the red/purple range, it’s really tricky to identify what shades these are with confidence.
* In my experience, unless you luck into a full set or rack of mint chips which have never been mixed and separated, you are going to have uneven colors even when chips can be firmly identified as all being Purple or Lavender or Orchid or whatever.
* Adding to the difficulty, there is not color consistency even among different Paulson sample sets. (I have three, one complete, two almost complete). These pics are not the greatest, and don’t show this variation as obviously as it is in person.
The seller wrongly called them “Blurples,” but I knew before buying that s/he was wrong about that.
So below are some pics, for what they’re worth, of this batch pre-cleaning and oiling... These notes are mainly intended to highlight how tricky it can be to collect these chips and find color matches.
* As the pic showing how they were shipped indicates, there is a lot of variation here. Also some flea bites and spinners.
* There appear to be two main colors, breaking down to 35 lighter ones, and 24 slightly darker ones. However, there may be 3 or even 4 shades here.
* As always with Paulson solids, especially in the red/purple range, it’s really tricky to identify what shades these are with confidence.
* In my experience, unless you luck into a full set or rack of mint chips which have never been mixed and separated, you are going to have uneven colors even when chips can be firmly identified as all being Purple or Lavender or Orchid or whatever.
* Adding to the difficulty, there is not color consistency even among different Paulson sample sets. (I have three, one complete, two almost complete). These pics are not the greatest, and don’t show this variation as obviously as it is in person.
Thanks for this post, @Taghkanic , it does illustrate the complications of nailing down Paulson colours with any degree of confidence.
There have been several times where I (as both buyer and seller) have traded in chips where someone has got the colour wrong, or not finely colour-matched. I'm sure some of this is due to changes in the manufacturing process over years and decades, as well as different storage conditions over the long term, and trying to eyeball off a screen. I don't think anybody has been intentionally deceptive about colour, because, let's face it, we each even have genetic biases which can affect perceptions of hues and shades.
My own advice is to never guess at a chip colour without at least making sure the chip is CLEAN. This is by far the most important point. Second is to use a physical colour sample set if possible.
I think in general, especially for hot stamped solid chips like Starbursts, Fun Nites and Initialed, the majority of them are going to be made in the most popular colours, i.e. straight Black, straight Red, straight White, Dark Green, etc. Relatively fewer are going to be made in shade variations of these, i.e. Charcoal, Radaint Red, Off-White, Day Green.
There have been several times where I (as both buyer and seller) have traded in chips where someone has got the colour wrong, or not finely colour-matched. I'm sure some of this is due to changes in the manufacturing process over years and decades, as well as different storage conditions over the long term, and trying to eyeball off a screen. I don't think anybody has been intentionally deceptive about colour, because, let's face it, we each even have genetic biases which can affect perceptions of hues and shades.
My own advice is to never guess at a chip colour without at least making sure the chip is CLEAN. This is by far the most important point. Second is to use a physical colour sample set if possible.
I think in general, especially for hot stamped solid chips like Starbursts, Fun Nites and Initialed, the majority of them are going to be made in the most popular colours, i.e. straight Black, straight Red, straight White, Dark Green, etc. Relatively fewer are going to be made in shade variations of these, i.e. Charcoal, Radaint Red, Off-White, Day Green.
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Good advice. The one thing I’d reiterate is that even color samples are not a guarantee, though they usually a big help.
Per above, when I place three examples of the same color of official Paulson samples next to each other, it is rare for all three to be identical. Usually with my sets there are two which are similar, and one which is “off.”
What I’ve heard others say is that this may be as much due to small variations in batches as to changes in formulas and composition. I don’t know, for example, how much Paulson/GPI had to adjust to maintain color consistency when they went away from lead.
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I have two barrels of these ultra-hot red Starbursts, and still have no idea what the color is. The picture doesn’t even do justice to how intense the red is. I’ve checked it against *three* different Paulson sample sets, and no “official” color comes close.
Although you did mention the effects of oiling briefly (post #8), I would think that would have a profound effect on matching color efforts, since oiling tends to darken the color.
I'm new at oiling myself so I'm certainly no expert. If I had a color sample set, would I be doing a disservice to myself by oiling it?
I'm new at oiling myself so I'm certainly no expert. If I had a color sample set, would I be doing a disservice to myself by oiling it?
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I actually have two full and another partial Paulson sample set, and have contemplated oiling one of the two full sets for that very reason...
In the case of these particular (hot red) chips, the difference in intensity of the color is so profound that it doesn’t seem attributable to just oiling.
I wouldn't oil the sample set, because you're 99% likely going to be comparing it to an unoiled chip, and it will read off.
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