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How long does a quality chip last really? Lifetime? (1 Viewer)

J

Joe

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Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knows or has experience on how long a quality chip, say Paulsons, last? I've heard a lifetime, but that obvious depends on usage for one, but also never seen any empirical data/evidence. Say, for example, a set that gets 'light usage' of once a month?

I ask because I would like to pass down a set to my daughter someday but wondering if the chips will be worthless by then assuming I use them for the next 10-20 years (lightly)?

Anyone know; and if so, based on what? Thanks.
 
Yes practically a lifetime considering a few factors.

Condition when bought. If new/mint they will remain in better condition longer than casino used.

Amount of use. Nightly games will wear chips faster than weekly or monthly games.

What do you consider unusable? Starting with mint chips in a normal home game environment it will take a LONG time to get to really casino used.

Look up CT for puggys thread on wearing chips down. He shuffled chips almost every day and it took a long time to wear down.
 
Let's assume you acquired casino Paulsons very slightly used. Even if you had a weekly game, where everyone heavily shuffled the chips. When you shuffle (har!) off this mortal coil and leave the set to your next of kin, the chips will only look a bit more used. It takes years of 24/7 casino use and abuse for chips to wear down dramatically. This would include tumble cleaning by a casino, which you won't be doing.

"Light usage" once a month? You'll barely notice.

You're going to be ok.
 
stocky said:
He shuffled chips almost every day and it took a long time to wear down.
Click to expand...

And they are still a long, long, way from being 'useless'. I still wouldn't even consider them as worn as many 'casino-used' chips (which typically take 10 years of constant use to get worn down -- and they are still usable, imo). Unlikely that monthly use will even be noticeable by most people, even after 20 years.
 
BGinGA said:
And they are still a long, long, way from being 'useless'. I still wouldn't even consider them as worn as many 'casino-used' chips (which typically take 10 years of constant use to get worn down -- and they are still usable, imo). Unlikely that monthly use will even be noticeable by most people, even after 20 years.
Click to expand...

Yep. Couldn't quite remember the condition they ended up being in but knew it wasn't to the point that they were unusable.
 
gopherblue said:
Let's assume you acquired casino Paulsons very slightly used. Even if you had a weekly game, where everyone heavily shuffled the chips. When you shuffle (har!) off this mortal coil and leave the set to your next of kin, the chips will only look a bit more used. It takes years of 24/7 casino use and abuse for chips to wear down dramatically. This would include tumble cleaning by a casino, which you won't be doing.

"Light usage" once a month? You'll barely notice.

You're going to be ok.
Click to expand...

Extra points for quoting Shakespeare.
 
I expect a weekly game home set will be in playable shape in 2200 if it starts as excellent condition casino chips or better. Really! Well only if the set is made up of inlayed chips and not hot stamps - a hot stamped set would likely show serious wear after a hundred and eight five years.

Here is my data:

you haven't seen "worn to the bone" chips like Garden City or Outpost ones. Those chips have seen enough use to wear away about 3% - 5% of the thickness of the chip and remain perfectly playable. Many of my players like those the best because they shuffle like a dream and have a buttery feel. These vintage chips have seen a million+ hours of exposure to play (meaning they were in racks waiting to be passed out to players) Let's say they ended up in play10% of the time, meaning the house has 10x one dollar chips they need to run daily operations.

Your home game is going to be a baller game. It runs ten hours every session and every chip is in play. You play once a week for 185 years. That is 96,200 hours of play. And you don't wash your vintage chips in a tumbler - that would be done by hand every twenty years or so.

Even after 185 years, your chips are only casino used condition. The first half percent of the chip's thickness is edge texture and that goes away fast. The next 5% or so will take you down to the center recess - the "top hat and cane" will be greatly worn but at this point further wear is going to affect the entire surface of the chip and progress much more slowly. I think a set might remain playable, if highly worn, even after 300 years of weekly games.

*** HOWEVER *** this is all BS crazy talk. Because it isn't happening that way. What happens is you get your first set and play a few months. Then The Chip Room has an amazing sale, not that you NEED a second set but those beauties offered just sung your name. Come the spring of 2016 you see a member-to-member ad for yet another set. You find a few extra bucks for collectables and BOOM set three. Rinse and repeat!!! By 2017 you have a respectable five playable sets and enough chips to make it to the year 3000.

Truth IS truth -=- DrStrange
 
DrStrange said:
By 2017 you have a respectable five playable sets and enough chips to make it to the year 3000.
Click to expand...
This is only taking into account usage... surely there must be misc materials in the chips that will degrade over time? I'm sure Joe and his daughter (and his daughters great, great granddaughter's father's, brother's, nephew's, cousin's former roommate) will have no issue but at some point I would imagine they are going to start getting brittle. Or not... I know nothing about such things ;)
 
Well that is true. We have no proper studies of ultra long term wear and material break down. A thousand years is a long time. Maybe my many great-grandson/grand daughter can author a proper study. Still, these chips survived in a casino - we all know how grimy, nasty they are fresh from the floor. 985 years in a bird cage kept in an environmentally controlled inside room should provide a lot of protection.

Its worth the risk -=- DrStrange
 
I do have some older chips - Paulson's (1975) Christy/Jones (1965), and Burt Co. (1970). For being 40-50 years old, they seem to be doing okay (especially the softer-compound Paulson chips). I don't think another 20 is going to change them much.
 
Clays and plastics are pretty inert... keep them out of the sun and air when not in use, and the plastics and oils will last a long, long time.

(Remember, we have concerns about garbage lasting too long precisely because of materials like plastics.)

Also, a couple of days of habitual shuffling at a desk probably equates to many years of normal poker use in a weekly game. Most of the chips in a game spend most of their time sitting in a stack or in the rack.
 
Well, ok....looks like I have nothing to worry about it :) (starting w/set of new Paulsons)

I thought casinos replaced their chips a lot more regularly; such as every year or so. If they remain in play for several years, say 5, that's 1825 days (minus rotations/cleaning), which would be the equivalent of 152 years of once a month use, so I guess your analogy is correct/reasonable Doc.

That's actually a pretty good ROI - 100/200 years of use...unless of course, you buy 50 sets as suggested by Doc.

Thanks everyone!
 
I don't question the doc whatsoever :) ...in fact, he already helped me personally on several issues I had....very helpful, nice, and wise guy indeed. The world needs more docs.

I guess I just don't have the bankroll he has....
 
According to this history on Paulson, casino chips need to be replaced around every 5 years.

http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/paul-son-gaming-corporation-history/

Let's say 1 day of casino use equals 5-10 typical home games. It might be more. On the low end, 5 years x 365 days x 5 games/day = 9125 home games of use from new chips. Call it 10000 games.

If a set was played for 1 game a week and lasted 10000 games that works out to at least 192 years of use before they are worn out.
 
Last edited:
Speaking of long-term casino wear... Is there any preservative value of casino grime on a chip? Does this offer some level of protection from wear (even though it technically is dirty)?

;)
 

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