You've decided you want to start collecting chips... so how are you going to add chips to your collection?  There are three main ways:  winning them, trading them and buying them.  Let's look at each of these three different methods.

Winning them - I've heard this story countless times in the thirteen plus years that we've been selling chips.  Someone is sitting at a table game in a casino and they are winning.  They decide to keep a chip as a way of remembering this winning session or of remembering their vacation or of remembering the hotel they stayed in.  They get home, look online and realize there's an organized club, books and websites all dedicated to the exciting world of chip collecting.  They're now hooked!  Obviously winning your chips is the most rewarding way to get one... after all you paid nothing for it.

Trading them - This is a great way to get to meet lots of other chippers.  You go to a casino and get a few of the same chip.  You keep one for your collection and then you put the others up for trade.  You get together with other chippers at an organized trading session and swap a denominational chip for the same.  Another way is to post your traders on a chip forum or a website.  You'll hear from others who will want to trade with you.  Each person pays the shipping and sends their trader off to the other.  It's a great way to build your collection by essentially paying face value for the chip (+ the shipping).

Buying them - Purchasing your chips is the most common method of building a collection.  You can do it one of two ways:  either buying them directly from the casino at face value or buying them on the secondary market at a premium.  By "premium" I mean you will be paying a price MORE than the face value of the chip you are buying.  Let's take a little closer look at each of these two methods.

There are several ways to get them directly from the casino itself.  In a separate guide I've outlined several different acquisition strategies in detail.  My favorite three ways are from the casino cashier cage, the craps table and the poker room.

If you don't get the chips for face value from the casino the other option is to buy them on the secondary market.  There are lots of chip brokerage websites where you can buy chips or you can use an online auction service like eBay, Yahoo or Jackpot Auctions.  In most cases you will pay a premium for the chip to compensate the seller for the time, energy and money they spent gathering the chip for you. In most cases you will also pay for shipping.  Use your due diligence and learn who you are buying your chips from though.  Just like in any industry we too have a few dishonest and unscrupulous sellers.  Check their feedback, see how long they have been in business and ask questions.  Purchase a low end chip to "test the waters" before jumping in with both feet.

Hopefully you now have a better idea on a few methods of how to put chips into your collection.

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.