Alan,

A "jeton" does not mean the piece comes from a
casino. What we call chips are basically known as
tokens or chips all over the world. The word "jeton"
(French, German and ...) translates to "token."
Where a token (chip) comes from or what it's made of
means nothing. We favor the word "jeton" because most of this material is made in France. Plastic "jetons" in Germany and
plastic "fichas" in Spain are called chips in
English. When we drive by a truck from the UK, we
don't say look at that "lorry," we simply say look
at that "truck!" <g> We don't call chips from Cuba
or Panama "fichas" (but they do). We've come to know
the plastic-type chips of France and Germany as
jetons for style and because what they are called
there, but metal, paper, wood, Mother-of-Pearl,
ivory or whatever are simply tokens (markers,
counters and chips). The distinction of what a chip
is called in its country of origin is not needed but it wouldn't hurt to call the laminated plastic type a jeton if one wishes. I've started
describing and illustrating the chips and plaques of
the world at ChequePoint on CHEQUERS. The first
series (four parts are up now) will have about
20-different types of chips and plaques and I'll go
from there. What you see below is a yellow plastic
laminated "French-style" chip, 60mm (2-3/8") with
3-lunettes. The first $10 Roulette we Saw from Paris
Las Vegas a blue laminated plactic chip (size) with
tulle (mesh) and lunette.

JB