Hey
@Hobbyphilic, you're credited with passing the sickne.. uh, enthusiasm for chipping again! Good work!
Advice from a China Clay owner (more of less the bulk of the sets you mentioned):
Milano are sort of harder to get these days and are showing signs of aging poorly in the higher denominations. I can't recommend them.
Pharaoh, same deal with Milanos, but a shade better quality and more interesting to boot. They, occasionally, have shown signs of aging poorly. Flaking, discoloration, etc. Less frequent, but still an issue.
Mint - slugged ABS chips. If you're going slugged ABS, I think
@Darson might vouch for the Outlaw set. I don't actually hate the slugged ABS of this variety. I have samples of the Desert Heat and the Bank (I think?). They're pretty much the same base with a different label. If you go this route, get samples of the Poker Knights/Monaco set as well. They have a better feel than the Claysmith offerings. They also have a nicer label (it's kind of laminated).
Get samples of the Dunes China Clay (I have 1100 of these) on Apache's site as well. They're the latest (-ish) China Clay order. Comparably better than the previous iterations of China Clays, but too new to decide if they suffer the same fate as Milano and Pharaoh's.
Scrolls are ceramics - a nice alternative to the aforementioned sets. If you like ceramic,
@ABC Gifts and Awards has great stock models to choose from. I suggest looking at Tiki Kings as well if this is your speed. They vary slightly between manufacturers.
Plaques totally depend on what kind of game you intend to run. I picked up a handful of the Dunes $100k plaques to run high denom short handed and heads-up tournaments (also they're sweet).
All of this said, you're already doing the right thing getting samples. Check the classifieds for deals on the forum and you can also post a wanted ad there. You may score a sweet deal from a member offloading their sets.
