In the early '80s I was at an outdoor show in western Connecticut; huge rain storm the night before; the place was a sea of water & mud. As I splashed by sodden tents yelling out "poker chips" a dealer called me in. He had a large tin pail filled with these chips--of many colors. Said he had picked them up at a western gun show. He must have had more than a thousand. I bought a handful. I also have read that the Maceros in Galveston used this style for roulette chips.