OFFICIAL
Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collectors Club GRADE & CONDITION
DESCRIPTIONS
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I. GRADING
DESCRIPTIONS or STANDARDS
are a result of natural use of chips and tokens. The following five
grades have been adopted and endorsed by
The
Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collectors Club.
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NEW (N) |
Never used in
games. Square and round edge chips will be as from the manufacturer
with absolutely no wear, no dings or nicks. No scratches on surface
of chip or inlay.
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SLIGHTLY USED (SU) |
Only slight signs
of use, edge still crisp but ever so slightly dulled with very
little wear. Cross hatching may show slight wear near edge. Few or
no edge nicks; still retains luster in mold design. Bold
hot-stamp; inlays excellent.
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AVERAGE (A) |
Typical chip found
in play after months/years of use. Slightly rounded edges. Will have
minor defects such as small nicks on edges. Inlays are beginning to
show even wear and about half of the cross hatching has worn from
the body surface. Hot-stamps have dulled, beginning to show even
wear and may be missing a small amount of foil.
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WELL USED (WU) |
Moderate and
uniform wear of edge, surface and hot stamp. Noticeable edge nicks
and/or surface scratches. No luster in mold design. Cross hatching
is nearly worn off. Hot-stamp is still readable but much of the foil
is missing.
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POOR (P) |
Edges that were
formerly sharp and square, are now well worn like bicycle
tires. Original hot-stamp foil is mostly missing with only the
recesses visible (may have to hold towards a light) Moderate to
large chips (nicks). Surface cross hatching barely visible (if at
all) Severe scratches to inlay or chip surface. Severe color
fading. Partial wear up to half of CHIPCO design from the edge to
the center of the chip. (Damage, such as cracks, breaks, missing
inlay or other chip structure, do not apply to this category)
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II. CONDITION
DESCRIPTIONS or STANDARDS
are unnatural changes in chips as a result of other causes. Specimens
in this "Condition" category may be graded in any of the five "Grading
Descriptions." A cancelled, damaged or defective chip can be graded
in any category from “NEW" to "POOR." However, a dirty, cracked or
faded chip cannot be graded as NEW, even if it has not been played in
a casino. It is not in the original grade as when it was made. The
"Condition" category consists of the following terms that should be
used as qualifiers to further accurately describe the five grades:
(Examples: New/Clipped; Average/Warped) |
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1.
CANCELED or
MODIFIED |
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Drilled
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Notched
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Overstamped
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Clipped
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2.
DAMAGE |
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Severe nicks or
chunks
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Loose or missing
inlay
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Cracked
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Broken
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Warped
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Permanent stain
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Severe fading
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Cigarette burn(s),
fire damage
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Over-cleaning
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Severe scratching
or gouging
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Shaved edge
(example: to fit in a bezel)
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Water damage
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Burial damage
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3. MANUFACTURER
DEFECTS |
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Inlay or die
strike off-center (slight, moderate, extreme)
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Some of the script
or photo is missing from the inlay
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Some of the
hot-stamp is missing
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Manufacturer
modification (example: one side of chip includes manufacturer's
advertising information, even though the other side uses the actual
casino chip design)
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Ivory chips only -
nerve holes (small, moderate, extreme, as a "see through")
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4.
MANUFACTURER
ERRORS |
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Incorrect inlay or
graphic (example: Inlay or graphic is supposed to be different on
each side of chip, but it is the same)
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Wrong mold
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Double-strike of hot-stamp
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Mistake in color or number of edge inserts
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5. CLEANLINESS
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This may not be a
permanent condition. To clean or not to clean is the choice of the
owner. While cleaning chips is a commonly accepted practice for
aesthetic or hygienic purposes, it does not improve the grade but may
damage the chip and diminish its value and grade. On the other side,
non-cleaning should have no effect on the grade unless the specimen is
so dirty that grading is not possible. In a situation involving a
permanent stain that cannot be easily removed, the chip will fall into
the "Damaged" category. |
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Domestic
postage is included on ALL orders
sign indicates a
chip added during the current month.
