Here's an illustration of what is meant by "serif" and "sans-serif" type faces on the Harrahs brass. Note the extra projections on the letters that make them look a little "fancier". This particular example also has a different character for the apostrophe in the sans-serif type face... a Harrahs star! Both varieties exist as genuine Harrahs chips.

The extensive counterfeiting of these white Harrahs chips is what caused the end of the brass core chip. Most had thought these were counterfeit proof because of the extensive design and tooling required to make them. The Chinese proved that wrong when Harrahs Tahoe began finding more 100's in inventory than they had ever made! All Harrahs brass has been recalled and is no longer redeemable.

At one time I knew how to detect the counterfeit, but have forgotten now. This scan shows a color variation and I don't know whether that was due to the Harrahs reorder, or the Chinese supplier. Mel Jung knows, as he participated in the investigation by Nevada Gaming back in the 90's. His opinion was that cheap labor in the far east made a better quality chip than the US factory in California had been making!