Upgrading my Poker Chip Collection in Germany (4 Viewers)

[ExileExistence]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to the forum and from germany. I’ve recently become very interested in poker and blackjack, and I’ve now also fallen down the rabbit hole of poker chips. I was looking for a place to share my thoughts and discuss this hobby with people who share the same passion.

So far, I’ve owned a "The Ultimate Poker Chip" set since I was a kid. However, this 500-chip set came with rather impractical denominations (150×1, 100×5, 100×10, 50×25, 50×100, 25×500, 25×1000) for a standard 25/50 tournament—although I think I’ll continue to use it as a cash set. Additionally, this chip set is relatively common, and most of my friends own the same or a very similar one.

As my enthusiasm for poker has grown, I want to host tournaments more frequently and generally take my home games to the next level—making them look more professional and creating a bit of a “casino feeling” (even though most of my friends have never been to a real casino). This includes things like a poker rubber mat, quality playing cards (I already got some from Fournier), dealer and all-in buttons, learning proper dealing techniques, etc. But of course, the most important upgrade is the poker chips.

I’ve already read a lot, watched tons of videos, and followed the most common advice: I ordered sample chips.

Here in Germany, however, the options for buying poker chips are quite limited. The online stores I’ve found so far are:

• https://pokershop.de/ (quite a variety; this is where I placed my first order)
• https://gamblerstore.de/ (very limited selection, and I don’t like their assortment)
• https://pokermerchant.com/ (seems to have a very similar assortment to pokershop.de)
• https://www.playingcards.de/ (more focused on cards than chips)
• https://bulletscards.de/ (only offers their own chips)

I also wanted to let you know what kind of chips I’m looking for, as I already have a fairly clear idea of the direction I want to go in:

• Shipping to Germany
• A 500-chip tournament set with 25s, 100s, 500s, 1000s, and 5000s (for 25/50 tournaments with 5k–20k starting stacks, single table, 6–10 players)
• International color code: 25 = green, 100 = black, 500 = purple, 1000 = yellow (or orange), 5000 preferably pink
• Clearly visible denominations, but no currency symbol (we use €, and for tournaments I don’t see a reason for any currency)
• Relatively clean inlays, not too playful, with large and easily readable numbers
• A noticeable quality upgrade compared to my Ultimate Poker Chips, providing a more “casino-like” feel (without needing actual casino chips)
• Clear edge spots that make stacks easy to count (not too many colors and not so large that they visually conflict with the base chip color)
• A reasonable budget: I’d love to own Paulsons or Aurora Star Tournament hot stamps (how beautiful can chips be?!), but for hosting a home tournament every couple of months, that would be overkill. €500 is really the absolute maximum for I set.

It seems that many of the chips available in Germany/Austria (where most of these shops are located) are not the ones you’re typically familiar with in the US—or I simply couldn’t find many opinions about them.

I ordered samples of the following chips from pokershop.de:

• The Ultimate Poker Chip
• Diamond Club
• Las Vegas Poker Club
• Lions Poker Room
• Poker Knights
• Royal Cardroom
• The Nuts Poker Room
• Las Vegas Poker Club (ceramic)
• Skyline Poker Room (ceramic)

Below are my impressions so far.

The Ultimate Poker Chip​

I bought these samples because I initially thought I could just expand my existing set to make it tournament-ready. However, I noticed that the Ultimate Poker Chips sold today are quite different from mine (my set is from around 2013). The edge spots are much larger and don’t align with my existing chips, the color looks different, less intense and more plastic-like, and the laser effect only reflects silver. My old chips create more of a rainbow/mosaic effect. Overall, my older Ultimate Poker Chips seem to be of noticeably higher quality than the current ones.

Clay Composite Chips​

All of the other “clay composite” chips are fairly similar: around 14g, 39.5 mm diameter, 3.3 mm thickness, and all with a metal insert.

• Royal Cardroom: I really like the inlay and colors, but they have a few too many edge spots, looking "crowdy" when stacked
• Diamond Club: Nice inlay and colors, but I don’t like the edge spots, and the 1000 being orange (rather liked yellow)
• Lions Poker Room: Colors are okay, but the design (stars and patterns between the inlay and edge) is a bit too busy for my taste
• The Nuts Poker Room: Inlay and the Casino Royale-style design is okay, colors, edge spots are quite nice
• Las Vegas Poker Club: I like readable denominations, but here they’re just too large, and the inlay feels overly clean; edge spots are too large and too close together which makes the edge spot color hard to differentiate from the chip color
• Poker Knights: Colors are rather dark and dim, and they include a currency symbol. While I like the overall chip design, these feel like the lowest quality: colors bleed into each other, visible production residue, and a much more plastic-like feel

Overall, all of these chips show production residue, and you can tell they’re in the same general category as the Ultimate Poker Chips (even if there are subtle differences I can’t quite pinpoint). I’m not sure how much actual “clay” is really in them, but they definitely feel more like plastic. I don’t think a full set of these would be the upgrade I’m looking for, even though some designs and colors are appealing.

Ceramics​

I’ve read a lot about ceramic chips: higher durability, no stickers, etc. Of course, you also need to like them, and many people say they don’t feel like “real casino chips.” I’ve never been to a casino, so that isn’t really a deciding factor for me, but I want them to be like what you would expect in a casino. I mainly want higher-quality chips that feel and look special and different from the standard sets everyone owns. I actually really like their sound, and I also prefer the lighter weight (~10g). The roughened surface takes some getting used to, though, and the colors tend to appear less bright, which is also a small minus.

• Las Vegas Poker Club (ceramic): Same issue as with the clay version—I don’t like the inlay design or edge spots
• Skyline Poker Room (ceramic): Very readable denominations, no currency symbol, four edge spots (which I think is perfect), nice colors (though a bit dim), and the 100 is more gray than black

In terms of quality, the ceramics seem to be the best so far: no production residue, only a small sprue point on the edge, and almost no color bleeding. I also know that ceramics are used nowadays in large official tournaments like the WSOP, WPT, and EPT.

Final Thoughts (So far)​

I know I won’t get Paulson-level quality for less money, but I’m looking for something in between that still provides a quality, casino-like feel. Ceramics cost around €0.80 per chip, which already feels quite expensive and is basically my upper limit. Most clay composites are around €0.30–€0.50 per chip, but the lower quality is immediately noticeable, even to someone who isn’t deeply into poker chips.

Based on many videos and reviews, I definitely want to try so-called China clays (often marketed as “pure clay,” also around €0.80 per chip). I’m planning to order samples of:

• Milanos
• Royal Cardroom 43mm (even though I don’t like the non-standard size)
• Majestic Cardroom (very interesting design and colors, but unfortunately with a $ symbol)
• Bank

I’m also considering the WSOP Ace High ceramics. I may update this post in a few days once I’ve tested those.

At the moment, I like the Skyline ceramics the most (though I’m still unsure about the surface and the muted colors). Diamond Club, Royal Cardroom, and The Nuts are also still in the race, even if they’re not exactly what I’m looking for.

I hope this post wasn’t too long, but I wanted to share my thoughts and buying process in detail. I’d really appreciate your feedback, comments, or advice—especially from anyone located in Germany who has experience with the chips mentioned above or knows additional places to buy from.


Best regards!

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

Hello fellow German chipper!

Good to see you did some research already!
Over here we call all those "clay composite" chips what they actually are: plastics.

China clays are just another plastic composite recipe.

Right now the best bang for your buck in the 80 cent area are (Tina) ceramics, used ASM/CPC or used rhc Paulson's.

The Tina ceramics are pretty awesome since there are several different molds to choose from and you can do a full custom set or one of the tribute sets.

If you buy used through the classifieds on PCF, it's recommended to have a reshipper in the US.

Just someone you trust with a US address to collect your smaller purchases and send one big package to Germany every once in a while.

Which area of Germany are you from?

We have (among others) a pretty active German PCF community in the Cologne/Düsseldorf area.

 

[vulp]

Hi!

Pokershop.de will be your best option for chips in Europe if you don't want anything special (and probably classifieds later, but I dont know, I'm not a member)
They are realtively cheap and fast.

Chips without currency was my priority too, since not even € would fit my game, here in Hungary.

If you want to spend the least amount of money, go for the Joker Casino chips- they are lightweight, not so terrible quality (for the price), but not standard colors.
Look for the reviews here in the forums.

I think the best bang-for-buck option that checks all your needs is the Highroller set.
Ceramic, standard colors (except for the T5, but you don't want to buy those), simple, but very practical design. They are based on the Aria chips.
I have chosen that set for our company pokerset and we love them!
I am currently planning my second personal set and Highroller is a strong contender.

For my first six-max cashgame set, I went with the 300-pcs Bank clay set - they have every possible denomination and feel great.
Also very brittle, so I have to be extra careful with them
-> Thats why I will build my second set from Ceramics.

As for the Skyline set: I have a sample set of them - they look nice, but the T500 and T5000 are too similar - might cause dirty stacks.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[BigGrizz]

I really like the overall design of Skylines. If they were remotely affordable in the US I would consider a set for myself.

 

[TonyGGoat]

Hi,

i have also ordered from pokershop.de and they seem the best option from the EU. Otherwise I have also ordered high quality ceramics from an Alibaba merchant where the chip prize is 30ct but taking into account shipping and import tax you also arrive at a per chip prize of around 80ct. If you do not like the designs at pokershop.de this might be an option as you can design your own chips.

Best of luck!

 

[Tonysquander]

Welcome to PCF!

 

[TonyGGoat]

Ich weiß nicht inwiefern die in deine Edge Spot Anforderungen passen, aber die WSOP Main Event Replica vom pokershop.de sind doch ganz schnicke

Du kannst bestimmt auch wegen deiner gewünschten "Farbgebung" den 1er als 500er und den 50000er als 5000er nehmen.

 

[Timportant19]

I am from The Netherlands and we started out with Dice chips. Than I switched to China clays ordered from Pokershop.de (The Mint) and really liked ‘em.
Eventually I wanted better and ordered every ‘clay’ composite you could think of in europe and wasn’t satisfied enough (although for what you described; Majestics are the best option since they arent metal slugged).

Before I stumbled upon PokerChipForum I found Chiplab.com via Reddit and I now have my own customized set with 650 chips for €450 alltogether.
One day I’d like to have a set of Paulsons but for now this is the perfect middlemen for me!

 

[ExileExistence]

As promised, here’s my review of the China clay chips and additional ceramic samples I ordered from pokershop.de:

Royal Cardroom 43mm (China Clay)​

Very bright colors, a nice mold, and an overall appealing design. However, the larger 43mm size isn’t really my thing. In addition, they feature a dollar sign, and I don’t like how messy they look in a mixed stack due to the different edge-spot patterns and variety of colors.

Milano (China Clay)​

These had the most powder residue out of all samples. I’m not a fan of the inlay sticker or the color scheme. Especially the yellow on the 1000, which looks quite dim (this might improve slightly after washing and oiling). The dollar-themed design is another downside for me. The shop was also missing the 25s and 100s. Despite being a very popular chip, they’re simply not my style.

Pharaos (China Clay)​

These are lovely. Based on the Paulson Pharaos, I really like the color choices for most denominations, except for the dark green 5k. They feel and sound fantastic and are clearly different from ceramics and plastic-based chips. The mold is excellent, with slightly beveled edges that feel great in hand. I also enjoy the Egyptian-themed inlay with its evolving imagery. The stickers are perfectly centered, although slightly rotated between front and back. Unfortunately, like the originals, they include a dollar sign.

Majestics (China Clay)​

I like these a lot as well. They have a great feel and sound, similar to the other China clays, and also feature slightly beveled edges. However, the colors and edge spots are not very distinct from one another, which is especially noticeable in mixed stacks. As a result, the denominations don’t stand out very well. Most colors are rather dim (except for the 25s, although I haven’t washed or oiled them yet). I also don’t like that the 25 and 1000 look similar in a stack, since both share yellow and green edge colors. Again, they feature a dollar sign.

Highroller (Ceramic)​

I’ll keep this short, since ceramics mainly come down to design. I don’t like the overall color choices or the edge spots. The black 100 is a good example: you can’t easily tell whether it’s a white, green, or black chip just by looking at the edges. This is exactly what I mentioned earlier: edge spots that visually conflict with the base chip color. Positives are the lack of a currency symbol and the large, readable numbers.

Gambler Palace (Ceramic)​

The face feels too busy, with both the inlay and the detailed outer ring competing for attention. The denomination is also a bit too small. That said, the color choices are generally nice—except for the blue 5k, which doesn’t fit my preferences.

FSPT (Ceramic)​

Color-wise, these are the brightest ceramic chips I tested, especially on the edges. Because of this, denominations separate extremely well in mixed stacks, which I really like. However, the edge-spot design isn’t to my taste, and there’s simply too much going on on the face. It actually took me a moment to find the denomination the first time I handled them (especially the 25).

WSOP Ace High (Ceramic)​

Based on the original WSOP chips from the event in Rio (I think), I really like the overall design, edge spots and the large denominations. The only issues are the color choices: the 500 being blue instead of purple, the 5k being orange (which clashes with the yellow 1k), and the black 100 looking a bit busy due to the heavy use of blue edge spots. Still, these are very attractive chips. Customization is also an option. So, as TonyGGoat suggested, using the pink 50k chip as a 5k could work. Unfortunately, there’s no purple option for the 500, so I’d have to stick with either blue variant (1 or 500 chip).

Skyline (Ceramic)​

I already mentioned these in my original post. My main issue is the 100 chip, which appears more gray than truly black. However, this set offers an incredible range of denominations (from 0.05 up to 1,000,000, plus plaques). I noticed that the 0.10 and 500,000 chips are also black and in reality, that black looks much better. Since these chips are customizable, I could simply replace the 100 with the 500,000 chip, which would make this set nearly perfect for me.

I really like the colors and edge spots, and they look nice in mixed stacks. At least in my opinion, there’s no real issue with dirty stacks between the 500 and 5k as vulp mentioned. The inlay is clean, the denomination size is good, and they feel good in hand (as all ceramics do). Some other ceramics do have brighter colors (for example, the yellow FSPT 1k), and I’m still not 100% sure about the camouflage-style background; but overall, these are very strong contenders.

Overall Summary​

Clay Composite (Plastic-Based) Chips​

These are all quite similar in look and feel. With their standard size (39.5mm diameter) and 14g weight due to the metal slug, they clearly belong to the same category and don’t provide the upgrade I was looking for compared to my Ultimate Poker Chip set. Despite some nice colors and inlay designs and an overall fine quality (except for some production residues and fading colors on the edge spots). Given their much lower price (around €0.39–€0.46 per chip), they can still be a good option for players who aren’t particularly focused on an upgrade. My favorites here were the Diamond Club and Royal Cardroom, but none are contenders for my final set.

Ceramics​

In terms of size (39.3mm diameter, 3.3mm thickness, ~10g weight) and feel, they are nearly identical across the board and are likely from the same production. They sound the same, feel the same, and all have the same roughened surface. So for ceramics, it really comes down to design and color choices. Bright colors are especially important to me, as the roughened surface tends to dull the face colors. One recurring issue is misaligned edge spots: often just one out of four, which is minor but still frustrating at this price level (~80cents/chip) and detracts from the perceived quality. They may also feel a bit more slippery as often mentioned and might be different from traditional casino chips (as most users state).

China Clay​

These are truly different from both categories above. I love the slightly beveled edges, the way they stack, and especially their sound and feel. The often-mentioned smell does exist for me, but only if you put your nose directly to the chips (and I haven’t cleaned them yet). For normal play, it’s not an issue I guess, though I admit this might be different with a full 500-chip set.
My favorites here: Pharaos 1st and Majestics 2nd.

Other Options & Final Decision​

Regarding suggestions to design custom chips or order directly from Alibaba or Tina: I’m not entirely comfortable ordering chips from so far abroad, and I also prefer sticking with a well-known seller like pokershop.de. I’m also not particularly creative, so designing my own chips doesn’t really appeal to me.

Final Decision​

• My top ceramic choices are Skyline and WSOP Ace High
• I also really like the Pharaos, with Majestics as a close second among China clays
• I’ll most likely order my new 500-chip tournament set as Skyline ceramics (with a small chance of choosing WSOP Ace High instead: not sure yet)
• And at some point in the future, I think I also like to own a China clay set just because of the different feel and look. Most likely the Pharaos, with Majestics still being a contender

This concludes my 2026 poker chip buying journey in Germany / the EU. Thanks a lot for all the information and help in this forum. I hope this write-up is also useful for other EU players looking for mid-range poker chips. But feel free to keep commenting and helping me to make my final decision
Best regards!

 

[bruh]

Welcome. We've all been there: it starts with dice chips, then you want chips with numbers on them so you start getting china clays and ceramics sets, which are only a waste of money because you will eventually get Paulsons anyway. Skip the cheap stuff and just save for Paulsons. If you don't want to buy a cash set and also a tournament set, just get a cash set with the following denominations (0.5, 1, 5, 25 and 100). It is equivalent to a base T500 set - many members' favorite for tournaments - and allows for cash games too. Yes, the chips will have the $ sign instead of the € and the fracs will say 50c instead of "€0,5", like us europeans tend to prefer. No, you can't get Paulsons with the € sign - to my knowledge - but you can order custom inlays on here (the main reference being @Gear). Although I don't recommend you use the same set for cash and tournament, for safety reasons, it's more efficient and practically no one in Europe has Paulsons that they would bring to your house and mess up your game anyway. CPCs allow for more detailed customization but I'm not alone in saying they feel and look way inferior to Paulsons. Can't say anything about TRK / BCC / Matsui or others - never tried them. Have fun.

 

[BigGrizz]

Dude, I really like the Skylines. Sucks we can't get them in the US. I also really love the Royals and really like the Pharaohs. Out of all of them, I have Royals ranked highest. I ranked my favorite sets while bored and Royals are currently 11. Still, I love the look of Skylines. Such good options all around.

 

[ExileExistence]

Yeah I also thought about this ...

Skip the cheap stuff and just save for Paulsons

... but then I saw the price and can tell you immediatly: I won't spend 6k+ on a set of poker chips. Yes Paulsons are the best, but here are my thoughts on those chips:

• The difference between spending 300-400€ on a middle class chip set vs. going for a superior set of Paulsons with 6k€+ is just insane (20x?!). At least for me, who only plays semi-regulary poker, this just won't be worth it and I want to start playing with better chips now instead of saving 5 years to be able to afford them (assuming it would be worth it to me to spend that much money on chips, which it isn't lol)
• I often read that people who own Paulsons don't use them so often for their tournaments because either players don't appreciate them or they are concerned that they may wear out or break too quickly. And that certainly applies to me as well.

I just want to play poker with some casual friends maybe 4-6 times a year and none of them is that deep into the topic as I am (most of them don't even know what a mold is nor have ever heard of Paulsons). So yes I want to increase quality and create a more professional atmosphere for my home tournaments. However, these thousands of euros will then mostly end up in a drawer in chip racks and that is definitly not what I am looking for

 

[Jers28]

Welcome!

 

[Eriks]

but then I saw the price and can tell you immediatly: I won't spend 6k+ on a set of poker chips.

You know, this place is filled with people who once felt the exact same way

And you don’t really have to spend 6k to get a set of Paulsons

 

[Freudeus]

You know, this place is filled with people who once felt the exact same way

Guilty.....

 

[bruh]

Yeah I also thought about this ...

... but then I saw the price and can tell you immediatly: I won't spend 6k+ on a set of poker chips. Yes Paulsons are the best, but here are my thoughts on those chips:

• The difference between spending 300-400€ on a middle class chip set vs. going for a superior set of Paulsons with 6k€+ is just insane (20x?!). At least for me, who only plays semi-regulary poker, this just won't be worth it and I want to start playing with better chips now instead of saving 5 years to be able to afford them (assuming it would be worth it to me to spend that much money on chips, which it isn't lol)
• I often read that people who own Paulsons don't use them so often for their tournaments because either players don't appreciate them or they are concerned that they may wear out or break too quickly. And that certainly applies to me as well.

I just want to play poker with some casual friends maybe 4-6 times a year and none of them is that deep into the topic as I am (most of them don't even know what a mold is nor have ever heard of Paulsons). So yes I want to increase quality and create a more professional atmosphere for my home tournaments. However, these thousands of euros will then mostly end up in a drawer in chip racks and that is definitly not what I am looking for

What @Eriks said. You can get RHC/house molds or even some THC Paulson's at under $2/chip. Is it really worth paying €0.8/chip for some ceramics or china clays?

Get samples and shuffle stacks. You'll see the difference. Driving a Volkswagen is great until you try a Porsche

 

[bruh]

Mind you, I still have some CC, ceramics and even dice chip sets that I enjoy collecting

 

[Baldeagle9]

Welcome, sounds like your going to love this forum!

 

[ExileExistence]

@OfficerLovejoy this sounds great! I am from Heidelberg.

So here is an UPDATE:
I now ordered a set of 500 SKYLINE chips. I just really like the design and to have a ceramic set (and that my first purchase is from a german/austrian shop). What bothered me most was that the 100 chip was gray rather than black, especially around the edges. Fortunately, I contacted the manufacturer and was able to have the 100s customized/color adjusted at no extra charge! So I exchange the color of the 100 for the 500k chip (which has a much darker shade of black). I'll show them here when they arrive.

sounds like your going to love this forum

Yes and I already do And it has actually already sent me on quite a journey.

After ordering samples of the Ace High ceramic chips from pokershop.de, I really fell for the RIO WSOP chips. It's just the colors, the edge-spot design, the history behind them... so I definitly also want to get some of those. However, I don't see any added value in buying the exact same ceramic chips again just because of the design.

From what I know now, is that these ceramics from pokershop.de are from a chinese manufacturer called Anita. And that chips from Tina are generally a bit better quality (brighter/vibrant colors; Anitas are more dimm). Furthermore, I already saw that some of my ceramic samples (from Anita) had problems with the aligned edge spots (I hope this will be not a big deal on my large purchase).

So on my search for the Rio WSOP chips, I found very nice ones in this thread. They come really close to the original regarding the design, colors and THC mold (obviously not the feel). Since I wanted to get such chips anyway and these are hybrid ceramics, I consider them to be a great 3rd set and addition for me that is different from my metal slugged ABS and new ordered ceramics. I seem to have picked a very favorable time, as I discovered now the vendor subforum for the group buys here and will most likely order those Rio chips. Has anyone got them and can give me a quick review here? How do they feel compared to the other china-clays like the pharaoh's or majestics? Has anyone experience regarding the quality?

 

[Eriks]

I seem to have picked a very favorable time, as I discovered now the vendor subforum for the group buys here and will most likely order those Rio chips. Has anyone got them and can give me a quick review here? How do they feel compared to the other china-clays like the pharaoh's or majestics? Has anyone experience regarding the quality?

They’re not china clay, they are ceramic hybrids meaning they have a recess and a label rather than having the design printed directly on the chip.

I like those better than both china clays and traditional ceramics

 

[maxim_666666]

You know, this place is filled with people who once felt the exact same way

And you don’t really have to spend 6k to get a set of Paulsons

100%
I used to buy a lot of Ultimate poker chips just for the suitcase and just throw them away... I've had a lot of different chips, but I'll never go back to cheap Chinese ones.

All you need is 300-400 chips, which will easily cover a 10-player table. And you can definitely buy them for much less than €6,000, even in Europe. If you play 4-6 times a year, I'd wait for the right moment, and it will definitely turn up.
And right now, there's no need to buy cheap ones anymore.
What city are you from?

 

[ExileExistence]

They’re not china clay, they are ceramic hybrids meaning they have a recess and a label rather than having the design printed directly on the chip.

I like those better than both china clays and traditional ceramics

Okay so the material is very different from the china-clays? Is it like a ceramic (with an inlay and the mold), but still has this roughned surface and bright shuffle sound? Are the colors brighter compared to complete ceramics?

 

[Eriks]

Not like, it is a ceramic, just with an actual mold (as opposed to the faux mold ceramics which are printed) and with the recess and label.

 

[ExileExistence]

Update​

I have now got my 525 SKYLINE chip set from pokershop.de and I am really happy with them overall.

I chose them because I liked the design the most: nice chip face design and large denominations without currency symbol, no stickers that might peel off, nice edge spots, a symmetric face (front to back), durability and great colors.

But of course, they come with some flaws (which actually hurts at ~€0.70 per chip):

• Typical for ceramic chips, they are a bit slippery. However, they are a bit less slippery than the samples I ordered. But this doesn't really bother me, since they still stack nicely
• There are a few spinners (so chips which are not totally flat). Out of the 525 I'd say maybe 10-20, but none of them are really badly deformed
• They all have a quite noticeable injection point on the edge. However, it doesn't really stand out, so that's only a minor drawback and it's mainly noticeable on the T25s and T500s
• Also compared to the samples I got, my new set from the production is a bit chalky. More specifically the edges. This is a bit strange, since it does not look like real chalk as on some of the china-clay samples I got. But you see the difference compared to the single sample chips I got (samples look a little brighter and shinier on the edges). Has anyone made the same observation? Am I supposed to do any specific cleaning with ceramic chips or even oil them ?
• Rarely, the "inlay" print is not perfectly centered, but this is hard to notice with the eye and requires some time of staring at the chip before you see it. It may be offset by about 1 mm or less, so just a slight imperfection here and there. But the overall face design with the edge spots hides that well.
• Finally, what bothers me most: the "aligned edge spots" that are advertised so prominently are often not so aligned. For a perfectionist like me, this is really a bummer. One or two out of the four edge spots of a chip are sometimes slightly misaligned (so the face compared to the edge). For the majority of chips, it's only a slight misalignment with an offset <0,5mm, but I still wonder how this happens at this chip price and with today's production capabilities. But what do I know It's definitly noticable, although there are only a few with a really strong misalignment. But that was something I noticed about all the ceramic chips I ordered from pokershop.de (the producer is probably Anita in China)

So in summary, I am still very happy with this set, since it fulfilled nearly all of my requirements and I love the look. They also just got into action at my first tournament and I will definitely keep them in my "collection".

Now the reality​

But as many of you already predicted (looking at you @bruh and @Eriks), I must apologize for my previous statements and admit it: I am looking for some Paulsons now. After reading and watching more and more about them, and looking at those imperfections from my set now, I really want to own a set of those gold standard Paulson chips. And since I want to build a cash set anyway, I am now looking for some "affordable" Paulsons, which is quite difficult, since they are not produced for the retail market anymore as you all know.

So maybe you can give me a hand with this. I am looking for a set of Paulsons for 1,50€ - max. 3€ a chip. I know I should not look on eBay, that's were I've only found those crazy numbers, like 6k for a set or 30€/chip... crazy people. I also know that Paulsons once produced chips for the consumer market. But I don't like most of the designs (like the classics or tophat&cane or james bonds or national poker series. Yes probably very controversial opinion ).

The only one I really like and am currently looking for are the Paulsons Pharao's. I was also thinking about getting the cheaper china clay version which is sold by Apache Pokerchips (because I like the samples), but I think I will end up in the same place and just want the real Paulson ones. So far in my research, I have not seen a single seller/webstore that sells these. And on eBay you can only find like 30 chips for 120€. So many people say this is the right place to buy some chips, but then I feel like its even more difficult to get some to germany, since most people here are based in the US.

I also know that there are a lot more official Paulson chips sold on the Marketplace, like horseshoes (they also have a few nice designs) and I am just digging into this hole, but I really have to say that I am not a fan of most real casino chip designs. Paulsons Pharaoh's are just about right.

But my question is now: where do you guys get your Paulsons? Does anyone have experience with shipping to germany or getting some in the EU? And although I think I can answer my question myself: this forum is basically the only place to buy Paulsons from other collectors, right? Do you think I'll get some in my price range? And is "Marketplace/For Sale" the right place to be looking?

Thanks so much, your help is highly appreciated for a newbie like me

 

[TonyGGoat]

I own a Paulson Set and getting it to Germany was not easy. First of all you need to find a seller you trust, then decide on how to ship and what kind of insurance you need for your thousand dollar babies. Getting them through German customs was the most tedious part. Best Case would be buying from a seller already located in EU but that is unlikely to happen as everyone of us went through the hassle of getting them here and we won't sell
If you are going for the "legal way" you will have to keep in mind you will be paying 20% import tax additionaly to your buying price. Therefore, if you spot an EU-offer that is priced higher dann US offers it might still be the better deal.
GL finding your dream set!

 

[Eriks]

Unfortunately, you are unlikely to find Pharaos at your price range.

Within the range I’d say there are good RHC options available. Be patient and I’m sure something will pop up that catches your eye. With a little luck maybe even within the EU.

 

[Gojira777]

Nice to see someone new to hosting from germany! Have you thought about CPC? I know they‘re currently not producing but from what I‘ve heard they will be starting again this year. You may have to wait pretty long to get your chips from them but you can design them yourself, so maybe you could keep the design related to Pharaos but have even custom inlays, or with € signs (which I‘d love to have for my future cash set). I‘ve heard of people actually saying they prefer CPCs over Paulsons, but at least they‘re the closest it gets I believe. For a price though. Anyway, that‘s my dream for chips. I currently own a tourney set of Claysmith, sold as ‚The Mint‘ on Pokershop.de. Even though they are relatively cheap slugged chips, I really love the colors and I‘m happy with them for now. I don‘t really have thousands of euros to spend right now on poker chips.

May I ask, where in Germany are you located?

 

[bruh]

Update​

I have now got my 525 SKYLINE chip set from pokershop.de and I am really happy with them overall.

I chose them because I liked the design the most: nice chip face design and large denominations without currency symbol, no stickers that might peel off, nice edge spots, a symmetric face (front to back), durability and great colors.

But of course, they come with some flaws (which actually hurts at ~€0.70 per chip):

• Typical for ceramic chips, they are a bit slippery. However, they are a bit less slippery than the samples I ordered. But this doesn't really bother me, since they still stack nicely
• There are a few spinners (so chips which are not totally flat). Out of the 525 I'd say maybe 10-20, but none of them are really badly deformed
• They all have a quite noticeable injection point on the edge. However, it doesn't really stand out, so that's only a minor drawback and it's mainly noticeable on the T25s and T500s
• Also compared to the samples I got, my new set from the production is a bit chalky. More specifically the edges. This is a bit strange, since it does not look like real chalk as on some of the china-clay samples I got. But you see the difference compared to the single sample chips I got (samples look a little brighter and shinier on the edges). Has anyone made the same observation? Am I supposed to do any specific cleaning with ceramic chips or even oil them ?
• Rarely, the "inlay" print is not perfectly centered, but this is hard to notice with the eye and requires some time of staring at the chip before you see it. It may be offset by about 1 mm or less, so just a slight imperfection here and there. But the overall face design with the edge spots hides that well.
• Finally, what bothers me most: the "aligned edge spots" that are advertised so prominently are often not so aligned. For a perfectionist like me, this is really a bummer. One or two out of the four edge spots of a chip are sometimes slightly misaligned (so the face compared to the edge). For the majority of chips, it's only a slight misalignment with an offset <0,5mm, but I still wonder how this happens at this chip price and with today's production capabilities. But what do I know It's definitly noticable, although there are only a few with a really strong misalignment. But that was something I noticed about all the ceramic chips I ordered from pokershop.de (the producer is probably Anita in China)

So in summary, I am still very happy with this set, since it fulfilled nearly all of my requirements and I love the look. They also just got into action at my first tournament and I will definitely keep them in my "collection".

Now the reality​

But as many of you already predicted (looking at you @bruh and @Eriks), I must apologize for my previous statements and admit it: I am looking for some Paulsons now. After reading and watching more and more about them, and looking at those imperfections from my set now, I really want to own a set of those gold standard Paulson chips. And since I want to build a cash set anyway, I am now looking for some "affordable" Paulsons, which is quite difficult, since they are not produced for the retail market anymore as you all know.

So maybe you can give me a hand with this. I am looking for a set of Paulsons for 1,50€ - max. 3€ a chip. I know I should not look on ebay, that's were I've only found those crazy numbers, like 6k for a set or 30€/chip... crazy people. I also know that Paulsons once produced chips for the consumer market. But I don't like most of the designs (like the classics or tophat&cane or james bonds or national poker series. Yes probably very controversial opinion ).

The only one I really like and am currently looking for are the Paulsons Pharao's. I was also thinking about getting the cheaper china clay version which is sold by Apache Pokerchips (because I like the samples), but I think I will end up in the same place and just want the real Paulson ones. So far in my research, I have not seen a single seller/webstore that sells these. And on ebay you can only find like 30 chips for 120€. So many people say this is the right place to buy some chips, but then I feel like its even more difficult to get some to germany, since most people here are based in the US.

I also know that there are a lot more official Paulson chips sold on the Marketplace, like horseshoes (they also have a few nice designs) and I am just digging into this hole, but I really have to say that I am not a fan of most real casino chip designs. Paulsons Pharaoh's are just about right.

But my question is now: where do you guys get your Paulsons? Does anyone have experience with shipping to germany or getting some in the EU? And although I think I can answer my question myself: this forum is basically the only place to buy Paulsons from other collectors, right? Do you think I'll get some in my price range? And is "Marketplace/For Sale" the right place to be looking?

Thanks so much, your help is highly appreciated for a newbie like me

You just missed an awesome deal on a mint RHC cash set of Horseshoe Southern Indiana chips, at $2/chip. I think you'll find lots of chippers in and around Germany that could easily sell you some samples. By all means also get CPC samples, but IMO they're inferior in every way to Paulson's, except for customization potential (there are many beautiful custom sets, see Moonlight Card house or Casa Mango chips, for example).

Within the Paulson world, the tendency is for THC to be more expensive than RHC because the RHC mold tends to wear out quicker which is due to the fact that the hat and cane is on the extreme periphery of the chips. It doesn't really matter if you're getting mint or close to mint chips and use them once or twice a month, they'll last for many years, possibly a lifetime. Also there's leaded vs non-leaded. Leaded chips are no longer made for obvious reasons, but they're more popular because they weigh more. Personally, having tried both, there is a difference but it's not that great and definitely shouldn't stop you from buying RHC or non-leaded THC. Leaded chips are also much rarer. They're fun to have for a shuffle stack but at this moment I'm not bothered to build a whole set of them. Maybe that'll be the next step in my personal chipping journey, who knows

You've learned your lesson, spent money on "ceramic" (plastic, really. But that's a different story) chips, which you probably will never use when you start getting the good stuff.

Having family or friends in US helps a ton with shipping. I usually travel to the US and on the way back bring chips I've bought on the "For Sale" section of the forum, from other PCC chippers located in the US, which is most of them.

Least but not last, get samples and share pics of your first Paulson chips in the Mail thread.

 

[bruh]

Also the "show us your live stack" thread for when you have your first Paulson or cash set. This is my mixed cash set (.5/1) at the moment

Pink are RHC River City fracs
Blue are $1 Paris THC Inlay (I make the distinction here because there are Paris hot stamps, i.e. with no Inlay, but those are RHC, not THC)
Yellow are $5 THC Sunset Beach relabeled as RPC
Green are $25 HSI Secondary (THC)

None of them are leaded, to my knowledge. They're too recent to be (leaded chips are old, they stopped making them in the 90's I believe, but could be wrong)

 

[Gojira777]

I am from Heidelberg.

My bad, just read the older messages in this thread. Funny thing, I live about 4,5 hours north but I was actually in your city at Heidelberg Cement 3 weeks ago, to work in their mine. They are a customer of the machines my company builds.