A Short History Of Poker Chips In The U.S.

By Pete Rizzo

The game of poker began in the middle 1800's in bars, saloons and on riverboats in the mid-west and western United States. The word "poker" was derived from the French game, "Poque" and the British game, "Brag."

Coins, gold dust and gold nuggets were used as the monetary units in early poker games. Soon thereafter, chips replaced coins and gold particles, as they were easier to manage. Chips were made from ivory, bone, wood, paper and a composition made from clay and shellac.

The problem with these plain surface chips, is that shady characters could sneak their own chips into the game. Often, the establishment would end the game with many more chips than they began.

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To counteract the "ringing in" of chips, manufacturers began to include a design to differentiate them from others. The design could be engraved, embossed, inlaid or a paste-on sticker. Ivory chips were hand scrimshawed with numerals, initials, flowers, animals and just about any type of design. The ivory chips were made to order so that each customer would have a set unlike any other set. Sometimes, there were only minor differences between sets, but they would not be the same.

Clay composition poker chips were made by several companies between the 1880's and the late 1930's. There were over 1000 designs from which to choose. Most chips were white, red, blue and yellow but they could be made in most any color desired.

The most expensive clay composition poker chips were made by the U.S. Playing Card co. in Cincinnati, OH, 1907-1939. These were "Crest & Seal" chips, which were composed of a circular lithograph, embedded into the clay, with a "Seal" of a polyurethane type liquid, over the entire surface. The Burt Co., in Portland, ME began making these Crest & Seal chips cerca 1940 and continued until they closed about 1985.

Plastics became the material of choice for less expensive home poker sets in the 1940's, and continue to be popular today. They are injection molded, long lasting, come in many designs and are easily obtained. However, they do not have the "feel" or the quality of the pre-1940's chips. The best quality chips that are made currently are the ones made for casinos and poker rooms, either clay composition or injection molded chips.

Information for this article came from "Antique Gambling Chips, Revised Edition" by Dale Seymour, Los Altos, CA and published by Past Pleasures, PO Box 50863, Palo Alto, CA 94303; 1998. Thanks also to Allan Myers, whose expertise and help I could not have done without on this article.

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