It is a funny world. You limited-edition-collectors should start saving your money for the tidal wave of new chips coming. Apparently, some casinos are coming out with series of limited editions for the 50 states!!!!!

Today I read a post by Archie that said “Of course there is always the Flags of the United Nations. That should make for a nice long colorful series.... especially if they are quarter chips!” I thought he was joking. Go, know!

Today I was reading the October 1999 issue of “Gaming Products and Services.” a small gaming trade publication. Interestingly, one article was entitled “Coin-Free Options Reflect Changing Needs,” which spoke about how wonderful, quick and easy it was for casinos and players to feed the slot machines by electronic record keeping and paper pay-out slips instead of using tokens.

Ironically, the very following article was the cover story (“Commemorative Chips and Tokens Become Collector Items”), which took a different track. It spoke about how wonderful the abundance of chips was for collectors and casinos. John M. Kendall, the CEO of Chipco, was quoted at length. He bragged about how serial numbered chips and limited edition chips “comprise 20 percent of Chipco’s total chip business.” (He also took pride in saying Chipco chips have “never been counterfeited.”) (Incidentally paranoid players should avoid Chipco chips: Kendall says he has been working for six years on a “smart chip” which will have an electronic “chip” within the chip, so with devices below the table, said the article, “casinos can keep track of a player’s winning [and losing?!] and betting patterns and help track card counters.” They will become available by year’s end.)

Anyway, getting back to the main thing, Kendall was quoted as saying, “We’re also doing 50-state series for casinos which feature notable events in each state.” [How nice and educational.] The author of the article then said, “The Lodge Casino in Colorado and the Riviera in Las Vegas are two casinos which are each producing a 50-state series. Those will be available from the new year on. A different 50-state series has been designed for each casino.” (Maybe the Riviera’s theme will be famous porn stars from each state.)