Are Casino Chips Worth Money and How to Sell Them

Typically, casino chips serve as a form of currency in poker, giving each chip a distinct value. But what casino chips are worth money? Usually, they are differentiated in value by colour and/or numbering. For example, some red chips are worth 5 AUD, while others are worth 100 AUD. It depends on the card room’s guidelines or the home game host’s preference. However, values vary greatly outside a cash game or tournament. Our expert team made a guide where you will find out how much money chips are worth and how to sell your old ones.

The History of Poker Chips

In the very early days (600 AD – 1000 AD), people would use any valuable item they could find to use as in-game currency. As the game took its baby steps in the 1800s, players used gold, paper, wood, bones, silver, coins, and other seemingly “valuable” items as their version of a poker chip.

As the popularity of poker grew, so did the demand for a blanket in-game currency. The game was evolving past players bringing random tools and gold nuggets to the table – instead, bettors were seeking a new way to value their stack sizes.

This led to many companies coming up with the same idea — chips. These are circular and typically red, white, blue, and black. Values are determined at the start of the home game or by the cardroom rules. Clay, ceramic and plastic are popular materials used to create chip stacks, with the weight of all the chips ranging from 8 grams to 16 grams.

How Much Money Can I Sell Poker Chips For?

Are poker chips worth money? This question is often of interest to all poker players who own chips. When playing a round of poker, chip values are determined by chip colours or numbering. For example, a white one is typically worth 1 AUD. Alternatively, a blue chip with no numbering may be worth 1 AUD. Colours and values are usually consistent across the board at cardroom cash game tables, while home games may be more malleable.

Outside of tournaments with the best poker hands and cash games, their value in standard currency is incredibly variable. Chances are, your standard chipset from Amazon is worth very little. That said, a classic set could be worth quite a lot of money.

Cash Game Casino Chip Values

Cash games at the casino involve using chips having a designated value. Different casinos assign diverse values to their chips, ranging from as low as 1 AUD to as high as 500 AUD or more. Here is a list of possible chips’ values:

• 1 AUD
• 5AUD
• 10 AUD
• 25 AUD
• 100 AUD
• 500 AUD
• 1,000 AUD
• 5,000 AUD
• 10,000 AUD

Common Poker Chip Values & Colours

As we already know, poker chips come in various sizes, denominations, and colours. The colours of poker chips are generally standardised across casinos. The most common colours and their associated values are:

• White Chips – 1 AUD;
• Red Chips – 5 AUD;
• Blue Chips – 10 AUD;
• Green Chips – 25 AUD;
• Black Chips – 100 AUD;
• Purple Chips – 500 AUD;
• Yellow Chips – 1,000 AUD;
• Pink Chips – 5,000 AUD;
• Orange Chips – 10,000 AUD.

Where to Sell Chips

Casino chips are a great way to make money and can be sold in a variety of places. If you have extra casino chips that you no longer need, there are a few different ways to sell them:

• eBay
• Facebook Marketplace
• Local Cardroom
• Facebook Group
• Vinted
• Depop
• Amazon
• Garage Sale
• Online Forum

When Are Poker Chips More Valuable Than Their In-Game Value?

Like many things, the cash value of chips goes up as time passes by. A chip from the early 1900s could be worth a lot of money nowadays, and the same goes for tournament chips used during the first major tournaments.

Any chip used during the first World Poker Tour should be worth a fair amount of cash these days, but not anyone holding on to such an item would be willing to sell.

Other than the natural passage of time, some tournament tokens that are made of special materials or that have been used during recent higher-stakes world series games could return a lot of money from a sale.

What to Do with Leftover Cash Game Chips

Many players believe that chips are never enough. For such bettors, selling would be viewed as a mistake. Whether they are light blue, orange, pink, or red tournament chips – or something in between – these players will keep any chip they come across and add them to their collection. It does not matter how many chips they have; the more is always the better.

On the other hand, you can opt to sell yours to a buyer offering an adequate amount of money. The selling price is entirely up to you, but we recommend having a look online to see how many more chips of the same value are available. This will give you good insight into how much you should sell yours for.

How Much Do Vintage Chips Sell For?

While modern cash game chip values remain consistent across most of the world, vintage chip prices are often higher. You can spot classics on sale for more than 3,000 AUD on eBay, whereas tournament chips in the modern era are worth far less than that.

Vintage chips from old cash games and old tournament chips could be worth more money than you think. The most expensive sold vintage casino chip in history is the $158,000 Golden Nugget Poker Chip. This unique chip, minted in the late 19th century, was sold by an anonymous seller to a private collector in August 2020. The chip is made of solid gold and features intricate decorations and the Golden Nugget crest in relief. On the reverse side, the chip reads “The House of Fortune” along with a four-leaf clover. It has been appraised at over $250,000 and is a highly sought-after item among antique chip collectors. It is believed to be the only known example of its kind in existence.

Why Do Casinos Use Chips Instead of Cash

Chips are used to replace normal currency for several reasons. First, it is easier to discern chip values from one another by looking at their colour. Notes would require the dealer and players to look closely at the number on the paper.

Another reason for chips is that the game of poker is now universal. You can play cash games in Asia, South America, Europe, or the US, and the in-game currency will remain the same. This makes poker significantly more accessible.

Our Conclusion

Chip values in cash games will likely always be the same from this point onward. The same is not true for vintage chips or chips used in big tournaments. Like gambling, selling your collection now may or may not see you earn more money than you bargained for – but the point is that you take the chance.

The cost of your collection could go down over the next 20 years. It could rise, or it could stay the same. But if you decide to sell, you can use the money earned from such a sale to fund your bankroll for future poker games.