... denominations were pressed into the chip by the manufacturer. I had a box of Yellow w/ $5 on one side and blank on the other... and I also notice most denoms on the mold are the same.

This practice was true of the French houses that carved the Mother-of-Pearl material in Dieppe, Paris and wherever; the denoms were cut in and the balance followed when a customer was found.

Lots of both the unfinishe (and finished) MOP material was sold to casinos in South America, afterwards. Some of the less-elaborate chips are so poorly done (resurfaced) that you can still see the "F" (French franc) in the field.

The process is documented by CARO w/ restoring older pearls.