Cleaning Chips

Casino chips have been a collectible item of great value ever since casinos have existed. In the earliest days the chips were nothing like the ones we see in the casino bestslotsslots.com today and were made from almost any material like wood, bone, ivory and even pearls. Even when casinos first opened up in Nevada after gambling was legalized in 1939, the chips that were used then were quite different than the ones which we use today.

Cleaning chips is quite a debatable topic. Many collectors never clean their chips while some are always polishing and cleaning them. It is important to understand whether or not chips should be cleaned, how to clean them and how they should be maintained in order to keep them safe and undamaged for a longer time.

Why should chips be cleaned?

Chips do get easily dirty. The grime on the chips gets collected over time from dirt and even from just handling the chips while playing. The buildup of the chips is known as patina and it does get dirty quite frequently. Even though the chips might be old and slightly damaged it is important to ensure that they are kept clean in order to keep the patina and the look of the chip intact and to increase its longevity.

Cleaning chips will not increase its value or even its condition anyhow; however, it will make it more visually appealing. Chips have inlays and hot stamps on them which can get unreadable over the time if they are not maintained properly. The hot stamps and the inlays of the chips are what determine their value so it is very critical to ensure that these are not severely damaged while handling them. Collectors should be careful and maintain their rare chips effectively to keep their value intact. It is important to be very careful while cleaning the hot stamp of the chips, especially if they are old as these are very delicate and can be damaged easily.

Storage of chips

Another important thing to consider is chips storing. It is important to have a storage case or a display case for storing the chips without damaging them. There are several different types of storage cases which are available in the market today which are especially made for chip collections. There are files and folders, collection boxes, aluminum cases for heavy chips and even fancy transparent storage cases for displaying them.

There can be many creative ways in which the chips can be stored and displayed but it is important to ensure that these are safe for storing the chips and would not harm them in the long run. Chips can be stored in sliding trays, plastic tubes, binders, vinyl flips, cardboard flips and airtight capsules. All of these options are quite safe for storing chips.

With just a little time and care it is possible to keep the chips clean and visually appealing for the long time. Chips which are stored well and cared for will automatically reflect that and will definitely fetch more money on auctions.