Whenever someone asks me about which chips would I recommend as an investment I'm never sure what to say.  While it's true that some chips have escalated in value incredibly over the years it's really tough to try to pinpoint exactly which ones will do the same in the future.

The most important criteria boils down to Economics 101, supply and demand.  The smaller the available quantity and the more collectors that want the chip in their collection, the higher the value the chip will command.  Conversely a chip with a larger available quantity and less desirable will be worth much less.

Available quantity can either be referenced to the number of chips made, the quantity that escaped from the casino before being closed/destroyed or the control placed upon the inventory by the person(s) who now owns the chips.

Although supply and demand is probably the most important criteria there are other factors that play into collecting the chips that will escalate in value the fastest:  condition, the denomination,the city of origin, the collectibility of the hotel, the type of chip and the manufacturer.

Let's take a look at each of these.

Condition can definitely play a part.  All things being equal a collector would rather have a chip in newer condition than one that is worn, nicked or scratched.  Generally, the less time a chip sees in live play, the better condition it will be in.  The most desirable chips when it comes to condition have sharp edges, visible cross-hatching, centered inlays, no nicks/dings and no scratches.  Over time a chip in play will develop small nicks, rounded corners and scratches on the inlay area.

The most collected chips are $1 and $5 chips.  There are other collectors that specialize in fractionals, $2.50's, $25's, $100's and different denominations but the majority of chip collectors focus on either/both the $1 and $5.

By far the most collectible area is Las Vegas when it comes to the chips that have escalated the highest in value.  Even within Las Vegas we have seen some casinos stand out in terms of their collectibility.  Most often found on the Las Vegas strip and no longer open, casinos like the Dunes, the Sands, the Landmark, El Rancho Vegas and the Silver Slipper have seen their chip increase in value tremendously. Even still-open casinos like the Flamingo, Sahara and Tropicana have seen their obsolete chips skyrocket in value.

There are many types of chips:  house, roulette, limited edition, tournament and no-cash-value from any given casino.  By far the most collectible are the house chips.  That is, the common chips found on table games at any given time.  Once removed from circulation the chip is considered obsolete and increases greatly in value.  As for limited editions the most collectible chips seem to be Grand Opening, chips that have cross-collectiblity (celebrities, Hard Rock chips and Car chips) and Halloween chips.

Lastly some manufacturers/molds are more popular than others.  Chips with the Arodie mold seem to always be very popular along with Large Crown, DieSwirl, Large Key and the "H" mold.  See our other guides for specific molds and manufacturers.

So in summary keep in mind that today's current house chips are tomorrow's obsolete chips.  Collect current uncirculated $1 and $5 chips from the Las Vegas strip and they will almost certainly in time be worth much more than their face value.

Take a look at some of our other guides to learn more about the exciting hobby of casino chip collecting.

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We've been collecting chips since 1986, selling them since 1995, on eBay since 1998 and working with Chipco International to make custom chips since '98 as well.  If you have any questions about casino chips, custom chips or eBay feel free to contact me through our About Me page.