This week, we are going to focus on our first edition of casino chip mold history. Much of our information was gathered through Antique Gambling Chips, Chip Guide and a few other sources. We will have numerous editions of this series in the coming months. Our video producer Oscar made a video about these chips we are talking about. You can watch it at the bottom of this piece. So, let’s begin below.
Small Crown: People today will immediately think of TR King when they think of the small crown mold chips. The mold was popular in the state of Nevada beginning in the 1950s through the end of the 1970s. The TR King chip company goes all the way back to the end of the 1920s. Reportedly small crown was a popular mold for many California casinos. Below, find two chips from the El Rancho Vegas and Nevada Club. You can purchase either clicking each picture of the chip.
Large Crown: Also owned by TR King, this mold was popular from the end of 1930s through the 1960s. Though not as seen or talked about as much in the chip community, the large crown chips are part of the early days of legalized gaming history in Nevada. The Bank Club Reno, which was one of the first casinos to get a gaming license in Nevada, used the small crown chip mold for some of their chips. You can see two examples below and purchase either by clicking the picture.
Hat and Cane: The history of this mold is long and in-depth because you have an era that belongs to Christy and Jones and then the more famous Paulson chips that we still see in casinos today. According to Antique Gambling Chips, the Christy and Jones Company existed from 1955 to 1965. Unlike Paulson chips, Christy and Jones chips reportedly have metal pellets inside those chips. All across the United States, you will see Paulson hat and cane chips everywhere. Two of our favorite hat and cane chips are from the Stardust. You can see those chips below and purchase either by clicking the picture.
House Mold Chips: We are going to talk about the Paulson version in this newsletter. Reportedly, they rose to popularity in the 1960s. Some of the most popular house mold chips in Las Vegas history come from the Sands and Dunes. They are also available in plastic besides your normal casino chip material. See one of our favorite Sands and Dunes chips that are house mold. You can purchase each clicking the picture below:
Horseshoe Mold: Binion’s Horseshoe Club in Las Vegas used this mold on their chips from the 1960s to 1980s. Reportedly they were seen on casino chips from the 1950s to the early 2000s. It’s likely the mold will never be used again. You can see two of our favorite casino chips from Binion’s Horseshoe Club below. You can purchase them by clicking the chip picture.
Unicorn Mold: Has been used all across the world. Reportedly, it can still be used today by the Game on Chip Company as plastic chips. Find two examples below from the Horseshoe Club and Reserve Hotel and Casino. You can purchase either clicking the chip picture.
Small Key Mold: From the 1930s through decades that followed, this mold was used in many casinos. Many of the earliest casinos in Las Vegas in the 1950s including El Rancho Vegas and the Moulin Rouge used small key chips. Supposedly in the early 1990s, there were still small chip companies making small key chips. Find below a chip from the Moulin Rouge and El Rancho Vegas that are small key chips. You can purchase either clicking the picture below.
Large Key Mold: Started in the 1960s and were made throughout the 1980s. But like the small key mold, a small chip company was offering to make these chips in the 1990s. Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas had some large key mold chips. You can see below two examples of large key mold chips and purchase them clicking the picture.
You can watch our YouTube video on these chip molds clicking the picture below:
