Travis Lewin, a 73-year-old lawyer and retired law teacher at Syracuse University College of law, has a wonderful collection of vintage casino chips. Most people who love casino gambling, love the chips. In this interview, Travis shares his knowledge on how to cash in on this area of ephemera.
ephemera: I enjoy Texas Hold'em<, and I must admit, I love having a large stack of chips in front of me. Expensive chips have such a luxurious feel to them. Tell me about your collection and these great casino keepsakes.
Lewin: Initially, when I began collecting in 1976, I was able to find many chips for pennies at flea markets and out door shows. I also advertised locally. However, that source dried up as fewer and fewer design clay chips were found new to me; and eBay led many sellers to no longer sell at shows. By 1982, I began to collect casino chips and the prices have greatly increased over the years.
ephemera: I have a few clay chips that I bought as a set from an estate sale in the 1990s. I bought them for pennies each. Those days are over. What are some of your favorite chips?
Lewin: Ivory design chips; crest and seal chips from the early 20th Century and chips from unlicensed casinos around the country.
ephemera: What’s your advice to achieving success as a collector?
Lewin: At this point, it is best for the beginner to concentrate on a few areas of interest. For example, the collector might want to obtain chips from current casinos that celebrate holidays; or might want to collect chips that are humorous. In my case, I collect modern casino chips under $5 and avoid what we call Limited Edition chips.
Casinos now put out literally hundreds of chips--with colorful designs that celebrate something. But there are so many appearing almost daily that it requires a deep pocket to continue such a broad collecting interest. I try to get one chip from every casino, closed or open, from anywhere in the USA. I'll never be able to do that but it is fun to try.
ephemera: I had no idea there were so many chips being issued. It sounds like a challenge just to keep up. What resources and tools do you recommend?
Lewin: It depends on the collector's interest. If he or she collects design clay or ivory chips, the collector must have a copy of Antique gambling chips. If the collector looks for Nevada chips he or she must have The Official U.S. Casino Chip Price Guide and The Chip Rack has lists with prices of all known Nevada chips--the The Chip Rack book does not include limited edition chips - just rack chips but it features chips from places other than Nevada, including Colorado and South Dakota. A person who collects Atlantic City chips must have the latest copy of Black's catalog of Atlantic City casino chips & gaming tokens. River Boat collectors will want Greg Susongs book on River Boat chips. There are other specialty books for various geographical areas and these books can be found by going to ccgtcc.com where the books can be seen in the library section. Persons who collect illegal chips/unlicensed chips will want the latest edition of The gaming table by the same authors as The Chip Rack. Some of us collect Elks Clubs chips and need a list of American Elks clubs.
ephemera: Casino chips seem like such fun ephemera to collect. Thanks for sharing your expertise
Search Abebooks for the books listed in this interview.
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