First off, the scan:

I posted this scan previously (about 2 months ago) and there was no real commentary about atributing the chip to a specific locale.

So I brought the chip with me to the Greatest Show on Earth (the Convention) and showed it around to others and although no one that I talked to could make an atribution, I thought I would share some of the comments made. Perhaps that way I may get an additional lead, or two.

One of the first comments was about the mold (Flower mold) and how that mold was pretty much found all over the place. Sure there were some places that used it more than others, and others that used it less, but there was not enough specific geographical use to indicate it's likely place of origin.

Then, since the chip is such fine condition (a strong hot-stamp and the mold shows great detail) it was thought that the chip might be more recently made. After all, the molds still exists.

One of the stops I made, was with Jim Blanchard a Grey Beard in the community of chip manufacture. Jim said that by looking at the chip, he felt it was not newly made, and was in fact an older chip. The evidence of this was in the slight concave-ness of the outer edge. If one looks at a chip (on edge), older chips (when un-used) tend to recess in the very center of the outer edge, giving a very slight concave edge.

According to Jim, this is a tell-tale indication of an older chip, when it is a clay composition chip. In this instance, he would estimate the chip to be older than 30 years.

But hey, it's also possible to have a 30 year-old blank chip that you newly apply a hot-stamp. If the hot-stamp is worn, its fairly easy to rule out being new, but what about this hot-stamp, which is bright and strong.

Well, Doug Saito was another stop I had along the way, and Doug said: Nope, looks to be an older, gold hot-stamp. Doug, you mean gold-tone hot? No, I mean gold as in real GOLD where the hot-stamping was done with gold-leaf.

I said that I was not familiar with that and had always thought that gold hot-stamping was actually a gold-tone material, just as silver hot-stamping was silver-tone and the like for green, black, red, etc. But real GOLD ?

Doug said, yes, sometimes. This is evident on some chips when they are really old, with worn hot-stamps, yet the hot stamp is still present and it shines and even stands up to mild cleaning!

Very interesting, as I have never heard this before, but I am still new to the hobby, especially compared to people like Doug and Jim B.

Anyway, the only other commentary about the chip, was as it related to the mold. Evidently, the mold owner (a gentlemen whom I do not know) is still around. Therefore, additional information may be possible.

Thanks for looking. I would very appreciate any comments, either directly here, or via my email.

Jim (Gaming Ore) Follis