Have we finally reached market saturation?? (2 Viewers)

My wife can’t tell the difference between Coke and Diet Coke.

This thread is exactly how I imagine it going if she tried convincing me I couldn’t either.

Edit: sorry, I didn’t realize being convinced there’s no difference between leaded and unleaded chips had spilled over into a completely different thread. Disregard and carry on.
 
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Dude, maybe get a broader perspective. I shop at Walmart, and no, I absolutely do not need too. Dac Prescott does too, I’ve seen him there!
Reading stories of some of the richest men in America, one thing many of them had in common was they knew the VALUE of money and did not behave like nou·veau riche. They drove old trucks, and not old like worth a ton of money, but cars abs trucks that were plain and kept for many years. They both suits off the rack at J.C. Penney. They stopped and bent over to pick up pennies they found in the ground. They valued money. They built generational wealth that way.
 
Reading stories of some of the richest men in America, one thing many of them had in common was they knew the VALUE of money and did not behave like nou·veau riche. They drove old trucks, and not old like worth a ton of money, but cars abs trucks that were plain and kept for many years. They both suits off the rack at J.C. Penney. They stopped and bent over to pick up pennies they found in the ground. They valued money. They built generational wealth that way.
but…..

Was their chip toy market saturated?
 
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So I think you’re right, there was very a broad spread. However, for those who were able to maintain their income and work remotely, it created a windfall. In my area, the wait for pools went from 2-3 months, to 18 months. People were paying $1500 just to get on the waiting list for side x sides,

It was absolutely a time of irrational exuberance, it was silly. I shit you not, I saw brand new Ferrari’s with 90 day tags in the WalMart parking lot. Kids being dropped off in Astin Martin’s at school.

What were the drivers, IMHO:

- pent up post C19 demand (in states that opened up early) it was a boom, 100%.

- increased disposable income due to lower expenses. Remote working

- rapidly increasing home values in states that relaxed Covid restrictions (my house value more then doubled in 18 months)

- population migration from the coastal cities to mid - America. Fueled above home values and a massive boom, I lived it, I saw it, it was insane the number of people moving here and paying cash for houses. It’s still going on.

- all the above fueled increased investment, positive stock growth/value

- crypto

- and to a lesser extent, gov’t stimulus of which yes, a lot of $$ went to places it shouldn’t have and there was excessive fraud.

- a LOT of people were flush with cash, the velocity of $$ was skewed. Inventory on many desirable products was low. Creating a unique market dynamic.

Where the administration really f’d up was this illusionary notion that inflation was transitory and they could continue with the stimulus based monetary policies.

By the time they realized it wasn’t transitory, it was too late and the remaining available levers were to essentially throw a wet blanket over all of it.

And hence, here we are.

And it’s a mystery where all this money came from. Certainly not covid funds, I guess it was savings on parking fees?

And if you can’t go work anywhere and you can’t park anywhere because of restrictions - why do you need to buy so many cars?

I think that any “savings” from remote work and associated covid stoppages was more than offset by “convenience fees” like door dash and other companies that offer online sales and delivery services.
 
And it’s a mystery where all this money came from. Certainly not covid funds, I guess it was savings on parking fees?

And if you can’t go work anywhere and you can’t park anywhere because of restrictions - why do you need to buy so many cars?

I think that any “savings” from remote work and associated covid stoppages was more than offset by “convenience fees” like door dash and other companies that offer online sales and delivery services.
People were sitting around bored. Car dealerships were open. Home Depot was open. People wanted to get out and spend money. And buy poker chips or any collectible for that matter!
 
And it’s a mystery where all this money came from. Certainly not covid funds, I guess it was savings on parking fees?

And if you can’t go work anywhere and you can’t park anywhere because of restrictions - why do you need to buy so many cars?

I think that any “savings” from remote work and associated covid stoppages was more than offset by “convenience fees” like door dash and other companies that offer online sales and delivery services.
Oh,…….never-mind, you’re absolutely right. Carry on.
 
This can happen all over the world in many types of hobbies and happens in life in general. You can look all around and see new "trends" or people finding out about the newest hot thing. Next thing you know, everyone wants them! Sounds a little bit like Tiger chips doesn't it? I'd say so. Don't get me wrong, the Tiger chips are very cool, but am I interested in them? Nope! A sample set? I'd like, but I don't need a whole set of them.
This is exactly why I brought it up, as it is a reality everywhere in todays society. For the past 20 years I think chipping influence has been limited to a couple of forums, maybe a few relic sites, but mostly in a bubble. You’re the first that I’ve really seen creating content on modern mediums.

Granted I think you lean more toward the educational/historical content as opposed to influencer BS, but I’m curious to see if others follow suit.
 
My wife can’t tell the difference between Coke and Diet Coke.

This thread is exactly how I imagine it going if she tried convincing me I couldn’t either.

Edit: sorry, I didn’t realize being convinced there’s no difference between leaded and unleaded chips had spilled over into a completely different thread. Disregard and carry on.
I think it’s funny you brought up the soda analogy, as I kept thinking of those blind taste test where people are adamant that one tastes better than the other, when they were served two samples from the same bottle. I think it could be something fun to wager on at a meet up.
 
I think it’s funny you brought up the soda analogy, as I kept thinking of those blind taste test where people are adamant that one tastes better than the other, when they were served two samples from the same bottle. I think it could be something fun to wager on at a meet up.
I was showing my chips to my mother in law this weekend. 1) tigers were her favorite 2) she could tell when chips were heavier / leaded (by the barrel)
 
I was showing my chips to my mother in law this weekend. 1) tigers were her favorite 2) she could tell when chips were heavier / leaded (by the barrel)
I think being able to tell the difference in weight to a certain extent is legit, especially by the barrel. I question whether people can actually feel the difference between leaded vs non leaded without relying on the weight or inlay. For example f an unleaded chip weighs more than the leaded.
 
I think being able to tell the difference in weight to a certain extent is legit, especially by the barrel. I question whether people can actually feel the difference between leaded vs non leaded without relying on the weight or inlay. For example f an unleaded chip weighs more than the leaded.
Ohhh word. Hmmm. Now that would be fun. I bet chip enthusiasts could tell the difference in the “clay recipe” by sound and feel. But yeah the weight would need to be close to the same. **such as the suits mold WTHC kinda feel different than the THC to me.
 
I think being able to tell the difference in weight to a certain extent is legit, especially by the barrel. I question whether people can actually feel the difference between leaded vs non leaded without relying on the weight or inlay. For example f an unleaded chip weighs more than the leaded.
I’m with you guys, can anyone but the most discerning tell? It’d def be a fun test.

All that being said, I bought chips to finish a set, nice deal on em. We pulled them out and played with them. They both felt and especially sounded like absolute garbage. I would never ever play with them again, they hit classifieds the next day. C&J chips.

And this is from someone who doesn’t know shit about chips, but those would *never* be mixed into a paulson set of mine. Was really really surprised I could so easily tell a difference.
 
I’m with you guys, can anyone but the most discerning tell? It’d def be a fun test.

All that being said, I bought chips to finish a set, nice deal on em. We pulled them out and played with them. They both felt and especially sounded like absolute garbage. I would never ever play with them again, they hit classifieds the next day. C&J chips.

And this is from someone who doesn’t know shit about chips, but those would *never* be mixed into a paulson set of mine. Was really really surprised I could so easily tell a difference.
I don’t think I’ve ever handled C&J chips (outside of singles) but I noticed early on that the old timers seemed to avoid them.
 
I think it’s funny you brought up the soda analogy, as I kept thinking of those blind taste test where people are adamant that one tastes better than the other, when they were served two samples from the same bottle. I think it could be something fun to wager on at a meet up.
We play these games all the time with friends and family. Formal tastings, family game nights, all kinds of excuses.

Tequila? Easy to distinguish for nearly everyone. Jelly beans? Some people just don’t miss while others hit 50ish% with issues on similar flavors. Vodka? Good luck unless you‘re a distributor or similar. Light beers? Most fail outside of maybe having 1-2 brands locked in. Olive oils, salts … this week we even taste tested eggs from different chickens.

I’d equate leaded versus unleaded to Coke versus Diet Coke. It’s almost instantly obvious to nearly everyone. Oh ok, take away weight because that shouldn’t matter for some strange reason. Textured inlays. Oh ok, take away the textured inlays because some don’t actually have them. They still sound/thud different. Or will we also have to wear ear muffs to prove it’s actually the lead inside the chip that we like and not leaded chips in general? :LOL: :laugh:

Hell, I know guys here who could listen to someone shuffle five blind stacks over FaceTime and they’d hit 5/5 leaded or unleaded just from the sound, and they might even catch us on the BCC we snuck in, too.

If that’s too unbelievable, relate it to wine or bourbon. Handle (taste) enough and you’re just rarely gonna get fooled. You also find favorites very quickly.

Sure, present extremes from both camps and then make them hold their nose and stand on their head and eat sweet tarts right before they taste or whatever variables you choose to ignore, and they’re gonna mistake similar profiles on occasion. There are plenty of exceptions to the rule, but it doesn’t discredit the rule. It just is what it is.

Speaking of bourbon, I’m confident plenty of dudes here would gladly gamble over a bourbon taste test, many guessing down to the distillery — and even specific rickhouses in some cases.

Just because someone else can’t doesn’t make it less so. Same goes for lead. And chickens.
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I’ll bet you have. Lots of the old C&J chips are mistaken for THC
I remember specifically “the jfk set” - it was a red white and blue solid hot stamped set rumored to have belonged to JFK. I think this was actually being sold on the blue wall but it might have been here. The price didn’t seem crazy even if the story wasn’t true. I’m not sure if people weren’t interested because they were CJ or because they were unleaded or both or what. But it was a big beautiful set that never sold.
 
We play these games all the time with friends and family. Formal tastings, family game nights, all kinds of excuses.

Tequila? Easy to distinguish for nearly everyone. Jelly beans? Some people just don’t miss while others hit 50ish% with issues on similar flavors. Vodka? Good luck unless you‘re a distributor or similar. Light beers? Most fail outside of maybe having 1-2 brands locked in. Olive oils, salts … this week we even taste tested eggs from different chickens.

I’d equate leaded versus unleaded to Coke versus Diet Coke. It’s almost instantly obvious to nearly everyone. Oh ok, take away weight because that shouldn’t matter for some strange reason. Textured inlays. Oh ok, take away the textured inlays because some don’t actually have them. They still sound/thud different. Or will we also have to wear ear muffs to prove it’s actually the lead inside the chip that we like and not leaded chips in general? :LOL: :laugh:

Hell, I know guys here who could listen to someone shuffle five blind stacks over FaceTime and they’d hit 5/5 leaded or unleaded just from the sound, and they might even catch us on the BCC we snuck in, too.

If that’s too unbelievable, relate it to wine or bourbon. Handle (taste) enough and you’re just rarely gonna get fooled. You also find favorites very quickly.

Sure, present extremes from both camps and then make them hold their nose and stand on their head and eat sweet tarts right before they taste or whatever variables you choose to ignore, and they’re gonna mistake similar profiles on occasion. There are plenty of exceptions to the rule, but it doesn’t discredit the rule. It just is what it is.

Speaking of bourbon, I’m confident plenty of dudes here would gladly gamble over a bourbon taste test, many guessing down to the distillery — and even specific rickhouses in some cases.

Just because someone else can’t doesn’t make it less so. Same goes for lead. And chickens.
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That’s awesome. And I also think it’s the fun of it. It’s the same with Bourbon. I would wager most people here would have a very hard time distinguishing different bourbons with similar mashbill in a totally blind test. Maybe if they know what they are tasting in advance, and they just need to distinguish A vs B, but totally blind is much more difficult.

Lead vs no lead I think would be much harder than some anticipate when you add different wrinkles. Can I give you a stack of starburst 10 lead and 10 no lead and have you split them correctly into two piles of 10. Or do you need that sound of the shuffle?
 
That’s awesome. And I also think it’s the fun of it. It’s the same with Bourbon. I would wager most people here would have a very hard time distinguishing different bourbons with similar mashbill in a totally blind test. Maybe if they know what they are tasting in advance, and they just need to distinguish A vs B, but totally blind is much more difficult.

Lead vs no lead I think would be much harder than some anticipate when you add different wrinkles. Can I give you a stack of starburst 10 lead and 10 no lead and have you split them correctly into two piles of 10. Or do you need that sound of the shuffle?
Add different wrinkles? Lol. Why?

Don’t look? Don’t shuffle? Don’t listen? Don’t compare wear on old leaded versus new unleaded. Should I also wear rubber gloves while I sort the starbursts? WTF does all that prove? That, given the right “wrinkles” it would be tougher for @doublebooyah85 ’s grandmother to distinguish, which proves there’s really no difference? That if you can’t see or feel or touch or smell or hear them they’re all basically the same?

Hey guys. We solved it! They’re the same*!

*given the right wrinkles

There are some great unleaded heavy buttery chips. There are some porous light leaded chips. My entire point is the exceptions don’t make the rule — especially when speaking to an entire category of chips.
 
Can I give you a stack of starburst 10 lead and 10 no lead and have you split them correctly into two piles of 10. Or do you need that sound of the shuffle?
I’d be pretty impressed if anybody could do that by feel alone. Although if the weight difference were a gram or more, it might not be too hard. But I presently have leaded and unleaded fracs on the same house mold all mixed together in my set, and I can’t recall ever pulling out an unleaded one in disgust.
 
Add different wrinkles? Lol. Why?

Don’t look? Don’t shuffle? Don’t listen? Don’t compare wear on old leaded versus new unleaded. Should I also wear rubber gloves while I sort the starbursts? WTF does all that prove? That, given the right “wrinkles” it would be tougher for @doublebooyah85 ’s grandmother to distinguish, which proves there’s really no difference? That if you can’t see or feel or touch or smell or hear them they’re all basically the same?

Hey guys. We solved it! They’re the same*!

*given the right wrinkles

There are some great unleaded heavy buttery chips. There are some porous light leaded chips. My entire point is the exceptions don’t make the rule — especially when speaking to an entire category of chips.
You make the rules then. If what you are saying is that you can feel the difference of 13g chips from 11g congrats, obviously so can booyahs grandmother. If you can hear the difference in the way I shuffle leaded chips vs non leaded chips over a phone, then I’ll be really impressed.

The only thing it may prove is that your sight may impact how you think you are interpreting other senses.
 
You make the rules then. If what you are saying is that you can feel the difference of 13g chips from 11g congrats, obviously so can booyahs grandmother. If you can hear the difference in the way I shuffle leaded chips vs non leaded chips over a phone, then I’ll be really impressed.

The only thing it may prove is that your sight may impact how you think you are interpreting other senses.
I don’t need to prove anything. I don’t need to set any rules.

I like the way leaded chips LOOK, FEEL, SOUND, WEAR, and PLAY. I also like the HISTORY and the the ELUSIVENESS and the dozen other things so many have done their absolute best to explain to you but you choose not to listen. The market has also spoken. You still choose not to listen.

All of these things COMBINED contribute to the ALLURE of leaded chips (I made the bold bigger this time to hopefully help, although I’m certain it won’t).

We get it. You can’t tell the difference between Coke and Diet Coke. Then drink Diet Coke. Many here can and choose Coke.

“But what if we crushed them into a powder and you sniffed them, I bet you wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Jesus dude.
 
I’d be pretty impressed if anybody could do that by feel alone. Although if the weight difference were a gram or more, it might not be too hard. But I presently have leaded and unleaded fracs on the same house mold all mixed together in my set, and I can’t recall ever pulling out an unleaded one in disgust.
Yes exactly, but that also implies you don’t pull the leaded ones out as exceptional.

More importantly what household frac do you have with mixed formulas?
 
I don’t need to prove anything. I don’t need to set any rules.

I like the way leaded chips LOOK, FEEL, SOUND, WEAR, and PLAY. I also like the HISTORY and the the ELUSIVENESS and the dozen other things so many have done their absolute best to explain to you but you choose not to listen. The market has also spoken. You still choose not to listen.

All of these things COMBINED contribute to the ALLURE of leaded chips (I made the bold bigger this time to hopefully help, although I’m certain it won’t).

We get it. You can’t tell the difference between Coke and Diet Coke. Then drink Diet Coke. Many here can and choose Coke.

“But what if we crushed them into a powder and you sniffed them, I bet you wouldn’t be able to tell.”

Jesus dude.
And thank you for indulging. That’s kind of what I thought. Leaded is a look, feel, sound, smell, Wear, Historical era, Rarity package that can have many interpretations.
 
You would have more recent knowledge, but isn’t it still availble on their stock hotstamp page?

I don’t recall starburst being something offered or in the catalog. What would be the reason any casino would order that? I thought starburst were only used to cancel chips other than the starburst that were sold in the leaded days to the public

@BGinGA probably knows
 
If what you are saying is that you can feel the difference of 13g chips from 11g
Everything else aside, a 2g difference can be pretty noticeable.

Ever held a 24 vs 22g dart. It’s actually quite noticeable. Switching from a 22 to a 24g (or vice versa) dart can materially impact one’s game.

Not really that far fetched that people could feel a 2g difference.
 

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