PGI china clay falling apart? (1 Viewer)

[p5woody]

I purchased chips from PGI back in 2010 timeframe, has anybody else seen this happen to these chips?

I had a few chip break like this over the years but only 5-10 total over a 4-5 year period. I used them in a monthly game and they showed no other real signs of wear, many were never used because I bought more chips then I really needed. Since they hadn't been used in 3+ years I recently sold them and in the first couple of games the new owner has reported 20+ chips have broke apart to the point they had to be taken off the table. He reported this is happening to the black chips the most, however there are larger number of them so maybe it is just a numbers thing.

I feel really bad, I had no idea these chips would start to fall apart. I would not have sold them if I knew they would do this and I have given a refund. I know I have seen post about possible flaking but not actually falling apart. Any idea why this is happening?

 

[CdnBeerLover]

Dried out over time?

 

[mike32]

Happened to @detroitdad china clays and others. He sold his to another friend of ours and ultimately offered a refund. Orange flakes all over the table every game. I think it is more common in certain colors.

 

[DoubleEagle]

The $1,000 China Clay Pharaohs break very easily (from the original group buy). No problems with the other denoms.

 

[Blaster]

See the thread:
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...ility-of-china-clays-chips.23270/#post-428806

 

[detroitdad]

Happened to @detroitdad china clays and others. He sold his to another friend of ours and ultimately offered a refund. Orange flakes all over the table every game. I think it is more common in certain colors.

I bought him Milanos as a replacement set.

 

[TheBigTater]

Damn, what are people doing with these chips to cause that kind of damage. If that is coming from just regular use (not splashing or slamming chips down on the table) then that's pretty bad.

There have been quite a few threads over time about CC's and there durability. Some of the earlier CC chips seem to be the most vulnerable to wear/chipping/breakage (ie: Pharaohs, 1st run of PGI MGK). I have only the PGI 8V's for comparison. They also don't get that much use 1-2 a year tops.

Mine have some flaking issues especially from the pink & white base colored chips. Most of the other colors all shed lightly to some degree but not as bad as the pinks especially. Some don't shed at all. By shedding I mean light visible dust left on the table after a night of play. I have had a couple of chunks chip off an edge usually around an edge spot only on 3-4 over time. Chip shuffling probably puts more wear on them and since I don't shuffle chips it might be reason why mine don't have as many problems. I would guess that humidity or the lack of humidity would cause issues with these chips as well, mainly because they are generally cheaply produced and therefore won't hold up to a lot of use over time (god know what there are actually made of). Also the differences in production runs for each CC version/chip has something to do with their durability.

All in all I'm still happy with my 8V's though.

 

[DoubleEagle]

Damn, what are people doing with these chips to cause that kind of damage. If that is coming from just regular use (not splashing or slamming chips down on the table) then that's pretty bad. .

No abuse. But, these chips have been used weekly now for over nine years. Mine are the originals from the 1st group buy. I have probably had about 15 of the peach $1,000's just fall apart over the last two years or three years. Must have something to do with their age and the fact their composition is not as durable as the other denoms.

 

[Psypher1000]

Any idea why this is happening?

Must have something to do with their age and the fact their composition is not as durable as the other denoms.

I think we need to now expect these types of issues from cheap, years-old CC's. I've also seen color-fading on sets as recent as the Dunes remakes and the CPS chips. They're great as starter sets, beer league sets, charity sets, and disposables, but they're simply not made to last.

No disrespect to anyone who bought them - they absolutely serve a purpose, and I don't think we knew of CC's shortcomings when they were first made/offered. Hell, I've got a large tournament set myself. As we learn their limitations over time, however, I think buyers need to keep them in mind when purchasing any CC set.

 

[PlaidDragon]

Yikes. Makes me sort of want to avoid CC's in the future.

 

[andy699669]

Me

Yikes. Makes me sort of want to avoid CC's in the future.

Me too, better off with ceramics or CPC.

 

[BGinGA]

Low-cost disposable chips have their place in the market. Just don't expect them to retain their value, or apparently their shape, either.

If looking for long-term use (or investment), look elsewhere.

 

[navels]

One of the first sets I bought here (PGI Private Cardroom) suffers from this. Never considered asking for a refund as they were dirt cheap to begin with (15c/chip) and I actually like having a "beater" set for some games

 

[Quicksilver-75]

Damn. Never had anything like that happen to mine. The good doctor has them now @k9dr so maybe he could weigh in. By in my experience, and mine were thrown around almost 8' at times this isn't the norm. Dayum!

 

[Jeff]

I use some Pharoahs at my sit-n-go we play a couple times a week at work. Two $1000 chips broken and generally, the rest are crumbling at the edges. I expect wear, not crumbling. But as cheap as they are, once they’re dust, I’ll buy more.

 

[rowlin]

How many hours on the felt have these crumblers generally seen?

 

[Jeff]

Very very rough guess, five years at three hours a week. 5x 52x 3= 780 hours.

I am somewhat unclear when I bought these, as I sold the LePaulson Noir chips we used (prices were way up and they were casting pearls before swine in my office game).

One of the 1000s broke being thrown in a pot. The other was in a guys hand when he lost his temper and slammed his hand down.

 

[DoubleEagle]

Not allowing for chip ups, 4 1/2 x 52 x 9 = 2,106 hrs. Not really all that bad considering their time on the felt. Time for an upgrade if something better and affordable becomes available.

 

[PlaidDragon]

No problems yet with my Milanos. They are less than 2 years old and probably see play once a month so that is very light play when compared to most of you all I'd reckon.

 

[Jeff]

Another one bites the dust. Another one bites the dust-a. Another one bites the dust Hey a hey, hey a hey, hey a hey

 

[moose]

How many hours on the felt have these crumblers generally seen?

It's not a usage thing. Mine have sat in racks for years and been played only a couple of times. When flaking was first reported, I was like WTF? and pulled mine out. Sure enough, just taking them out of the racks and then putting them back left flakes all over my table.

 

[Rhodeman77]

To me, the worst part is that they breakdown even when barely used. My fiend has a set of Pharoah’s CC from the Chip Room many years ago. If they have been used more than 2-3 times per year in that time I’d be surprised. But they are fallling apart as fast as my other friend’s Dunes set that was bought about the same time that was used 2-3 times a month for 5+ years.

There are enough ceramics or slugged cheap plastic sets if your budget is really tight that I would avoid CC all together.

 

[PlaidDragon]

Ugh. Would oiling them extend their lives, I wonder?

 

[Chris Flynn]

Not sure if this could be a factor - I have heard that having CC chips regularly exposed to sunlight degrades the material. For those who have had issues - wondering about storage methods - this coming from a guy with 2000 Majestics and following this discussion with much interest.

 

[BGinGA]

UV exposure certainly won't do 'em any good, but from what I've read, it has not been a contributing factor in many cases of decomposition. Nor has oiling, or frequency of use. Some component of the chips is just breaking down over time.

I'm just hoping it doesn't have anything to do with the radioactive half-life.

 

[DoubleEagle]

Not sure if this could be a factor - I have heard that having CC chips regularly exposed to sunlight degrades the material. For those who have had issues - wondering about storage methods - this coming from a guy with 2000 Majestics and following this discussion with much interest.

Mine never been in the sun.

 

[PlaidDragon]

UV exposure certainly won't do 'em any good, but from what I've read, it has not been a contributing factor in many cases of decomposition. Nor has oiling, or frequency of use. Some component of the chips is just breaking down over time.

I'm just hoping it doesn't have anything to do with the radioactive half-life.

Don't think I'd want to be around radioactive chips...

...unless they're Paulsons. Then I wouldn't care.

 

[Meddler2]

The same thing happened to my PGI cc's. Probably only used them 3-4 times and the crumbling got worse each time. Chips were stored in a case and trunk w no exposure to light or extreme temps. I finally just threw them (all 600) in the garbage bin.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Anyone have this happen to CPS chips, or the new version Dunes?

 

[BGinGA]

Anyone have this happen to CPS chips, or the new version Dunes?

I sold my CPS set, but no issues yet with the sample sets I kept.

Too early to tell with the new Dunes chips, but I suspect that the newer chips (made in the last 3 or so years) are more plastic composition and may suffer fewer problems.