Custom Poker Chips
One of the most fascinating aspects of poker chips is their ability to be customized so easily and inexpensively. As a token the poker chip is an artifact unto itself which can contain value far beyond the gaming table.
Since the 1920's the old pure clay poker chips were replaced in casinos and riverboats in favor of the new style that fired their blanks and created ceramic poker chips. While these ceramic and occasionally composite ceramic/clay chips are much sturdier and easier to maintain, they are still referred to as "clay" poker chips.
When the manufacturers of the first ceramic poker chips were merely seeking to improve the quality of the playing piece. That the process of firing the clay allows decoration as well as embossment an entire souvenir industry took over. Today, all casinos vie to have the most prestigious or recognizable custom made casino poker chip.
The ceramic process also makes the price of custom making a clay poker chip very obtainable. While a handful of chips with your family portrait on it may seem steep at two to three dollars a chip, you can get full 300, 500 and even 1,000 poker chip sets complete with personally designed carrying case for under $200. The only thing that could limit the design on a custom made poker chip would be lack of imagination to think up something to print on the chip. Photo custom poker chips are very popular as gifts and souvenirs from your gambling vacation at a resort casino.
Professional casinos will use the embossing process and edge marks on their custom clay poker chips as a means of security. Intricate but easily identifiable images on the clay poker chip helps prevent counterfeiting. There are many edge mark designs copyrighted by the various casinos. It will not be surprising if the next innovation in poker chips will be the inclusion of RFID's (radio frequency inventory device) into the poker chips with the denominations encoded. After all, poker chips in the casino are the symbols by which you wager your cash.
Custom made poker chips have a large following of poker chip aficionados and collectors who buy, sell and trade the many individual custom poker chips based on rarity and uniqueness. Auctions still run, selling clay poker chip sets that are documented as being used during various poker championships. Even the casinos offer used poker chip sets along with the used card decks that they have used in their casino.