The 18th Annual Convention of the Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collectors Club, Inc, will take place on Wednesday, June 23-26.
Believe it or not, chip and token collecting has been around for as long as casinos have. But it wasn't until the 1980s that collectors began forming communities, and collectibles dealers followed suit.
Before the 1980's, chips and tokens could only be found outside of casinos as oddities. For example, a few chips or tokens mixed in with a coin dealer's stock, or at an antiques fair.
A key player in expanding the hobby was Archie Black, an enthusiast with a background in coin collecting who was based not too far from the casino mecca of Atlantic City, US.
 Many chip collectors are also keen gambling enthusiasts |
To test the waters, he investigated the possibility of forming an organised chip collectors' club. Years later, the rest is history, and the Club's 18th meeting is happening in June.
Make no mistake: there can be a lot of money in collectible casino chips.
Last year, an eBay seller made an impressive $1,000 for a single $25 chip from the Golden Nugget casino in Las Vegas.
Elsewhere, an especially notorious casino chip sold for a staggering $1m.
The rarity and condition of the chip contributes to its value, and even any story or notoriety attached to its casino.
Bearing in mind that the world of casinos and gambling is filled with mafia goings-on and alleged murder and corruption, notoriety isn't hard to come by.
The Casino Chip & Gaming Token Collectors Club, Inc's meeting will be held in Las Vegas at the Southpoint Hotel, Casino & Spa.
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