mold
number |
picture |
details |
| MD-44 |
 |
HUB -- 25 vertical rectangles. 1928-1956.
Mason & Co., Newark NJ and other locations. In their heyday they
were perhaps the largest chip distributor in the country. (I know
that they were selling hub mold poker chips through the early 1990's, at
least, from their Chicago headquarters. I had written them.
Their catalog/price list was very primitive then. They are out of
business now.)...........The sample on the left we know was shipped to
a particular address in Geneva NY in 1936, but it is not attributed
to a particular club, I believe. |
| MD-45 |
 |
LARGE SQUARES (LGSQUR) -- 24 alternating horizontal
and vertical rectangles (so why do they call it large squares?).
1932 (per Al Kleindienst)-1987 (per Gene Trimble). Jones Bros., New
Orleans, LA. Most of their chips went to the New Orleans area, the
remainder mostly going to nearby Southern states.......If you have one
of these chips to identify, you might want to write Allan Myers (myersmyers@home.com,
or PO Box 17002, Louisville KY 40217), who has much of the old chip hot-stamp
imprint-shipping records of Jones Brothers....The sample on the left is
plain (no imprint). |
| MD-46 |
 |
RECTANGLES (RECTL), 19 -- 19 rectangles (look
like DASHES to me) that stand out in relief. 1940's-1960. Distributor
unknown. |
| MD-47 |
 |
RECTANGLES, 20 -- 20 recessed rectangles (or
DASHES). Unknown..............The inlaid monogram chip on the left
is generic (probably a roulette chip from table "B"), and, thus, has no
special value even though I acquired it and some others in an old box belonging
to, and bearing the address of, John P. Carroll, Special Assistant Attorney
General, Department of Law, Ballston Spa [a town near Saratoga], NY.
All the chips in the box were from illegal clubs in Saratoga, including
Piping Rock and the Brook Club. Everything considered, I'd date the
chip in the 1940's-1950's. |
| MD-48 |
 |
SMALL AND LARGE RECTANGLES (a/k/a SQUARE-SQUARE-RECTANGLE
[SQSQRT])-- a long rectangle and 2 small rectangles, repeated eight times.
Bill Borland, in his Blue
Book, attributes it to T. R. King Co., Los Angeles CA, and Bill
Blanchard attributes it to Pacific Club Co...........The sample on the
left, the reverse side says "Good for Trade Only." It is from a well
known men's club that had gambling, in the heart of downtown Portland OR.
It was started in 1934 and closed in 1973. (The "Good for Trade Only"
inscription was to protect the place in case of a police raid; the chips
could be called mere "commercial tokens.") |
| MD-49 |
 |
DIAMONDS (a/k/a RADIAL DIAMONDS) -- 26 diamonds.
Most famous period was with the Jack Todd Co., Kansas City MO, 1933-1950,
when Todd was killed. Very popular mold in its heyday. The
mold has been used since in various forms and compositions. Some
make a distinction between the slight difference in the size of the diamonds. |
| MD-50 |
 |
DIAMONDS AND SQUARES (DIASQR) -- diamond and
square (hub), repeated 13 times. 1941-1960's; not used today, but chips
were made for non-casino use until about 1990. This "diamond-square"
mold was always owned by the manufacturer, the venerable Burt Co., and
now by its successor, Atlantic
Molding -- both of Portland, Maine. This mold has been distributed
by Hunt & Co., Chicago; Code & Co., Chicago; Portland Card
Co., Portland OR, which called it their "Diamond Square" check; Noll &
Co., Pasadena CA; White's Club Room Equip., Cincinnati OH (advertising
chips on this mold: "White's Super Checks") and Pioneer Club Supply, San
Francisco CA. It is a good example of an open mold -- one which a
manufacturer will sell to many distributors, and, thus, is not "protected." |
| MD-51 |
 |
DIAMOND-SQUARE-SQUARE (DISQSQ) (or SQUARE-SQUARE-DIAMOND
[SQSQDI]) -- a diamond and two squares (hubs), repeated 8 times.
The story on this mold is similar to MD-50, above. It was owned by
the Burt Co., and is now owned (but not currently used) by its successor,
Atlantic Molding. They called it the "2 square-diamond" mold.
Until about 1990 it was used by some foreign casinos. In its heydays
it was used by Code and Co., Chicago IL; and San Francisco Card Co. |
| MD-52 |
 |
SQUARE IN CIRCLE -- a square in a circle, repeated
16 times. 1948-present. Portland Card Co., Portland OR. and
Penn Specialty Co. Atlantic
Standard Molding, Inc., Portland ME, has the mold for sale on its web
site the last time I looked (Oct. 2000).......... BPOE Elks Club lodge
#1413 is in Corvallis OR. The reverse side of the chip refers to
the 1950 state convention there. |
| MD-53 |
 |
LAZY DIAMONDS -- 10 elongated diamonds.
1940's-? White's Card Room Equipment Co., Cincinnati OH; Rigdon and
Co., Cincinnati OH (they referred to it as "'Lazy Diamond' Registered Monogram
Checks" -- $75 per 1000); and Herman Baron and Co., NYC (in 1960 and 1965
catalogs I own; they say "The design is non-duplicate, exclusive with us...")..I
also have an Arthur Popper Games, Inc., NYC, catalog (1940's-1950's) that
also hails it as their "non-duplicate, exclusuve... ... Protection Check." |
| MD-54 |
 |
TRIANGLES -- 24 triangles alternately
pointing in and out. A.E. Schmidt Company, Saint Louis MO. |
| MD-55 |
 |
DOTS -- 25 dots. 1930-1946.
White's Club Room Equipment Co., Cincinnati OH (they had advertising chips
on this mold: "White's Super Checks"). |
| MD-55a |
 |
DOTS (16) -- 8 dots increasing in size,
repeated twice; between 2 circles. Gene Trimble found this at Marion
and Co., which in turn obtained it from the Burt Co. (1920's-1988), manufacturer.
Rarely used mold, but Mark Lighterman has a hot-stamped chip of this mold,
so at least some were commercially used. |
| MD-56 |
 |
TRI-BAL (a/k/a 3 DOTS & DASH, and TREY-BALL)
-- 3 balls and a long dash, repeated four times. 1929-1939.
Joe Treybal Sporting Goods Company, St. Louis MO. |
| MD-57 |
 |
STARS (18) -- 18 stars. Rare mold, rarely
used. The club on the chip pictured was in the New Orleans area,
1940's-1950's. |
| MD-57a |
 |
STARS (16) -- 16 stars. New to me.
Scan supplied by Dick Covington. |
| MD-57b |
 |
STARS (8) -- 8 embossed/incused stars.
New to me. Chip supplied by Jerry Birl. The chip is injection
molded nylon-like, so must be of recent origin........ The inscription
on the chip to the left reads "Christchurch Casino...Training Chip Only...$1."
According to "The Gaming Table," the casino is in the town of Christchurch,
New Zealand, opened 1994, still open. |
| MD-58 |
 |
TUMBLING SQUARES (a/k/a SMALL SQUARES) --
18 alternating position squares. This is Bill Borland's mold #22,
in his Blue
Book. It is one of three of his molds that I don't own
and have never seen. Has anyone? He says "manufacturer unknown." |
