OK, this issue is getting more interesting....

The original question was if the chips shown below were actual screen-used props, or something else:

What I think we all can agree on is the they were purchased at an NBC studio auction, and that they were made for NBC by the Gambler's General Store (and not sold to the public - except David Spragg )

I still have no answer yet as to what they were actually used for. In a previous post I said I thought they were used for some sort of NBC promotion (giveaways to clients, etc.) and never used on the show. That was then....

Also in one of my previous posts, I laughed at the people who had purchased the following "fake" chips on (note the mis-spelling of the "Montecito" casino name:

Well, I was going through the first season of the show on DVD, and watched Episode #7 "Pros and Cons". In that episode, a scam artist makes up a sob story as to why she can't cash in the chips at the cage, so a good hearted casino employee gives the scammer cash for the chips. The chips are later shown to be fakes. Here are some screen captures from that episode:

I laughed at the people who bought some of these on , but IMO these chips are more valuable than the ones I was selling. Who's laughing now?

There are several episodes throughout the entire series of the show that deal with Montecito casino poker tournaments and other fake chip story lines, and I am thinking that the chips in question may have been used in one of these episodes. That would explain that there are not a lot out there, and may have been seen in only one or two scenes in a single episode.

I am still working on this and hope to have an answer sometime.