I did mean SMCRWN, Alex. Thanks for catching the error.

The chip is in a Capital Plastics holder. These are premium priced holders mainly sold for coins. Two pieces of clear acrylic sandwiched around a piece of plastic with a cutout to fit the display item. They are assembled with plastic screws. No clue here as to origin, as anybody can purchase these.

GeneT will probably provide more background on samples as he has lots of them. Samples are made to get approval of the customer before volume production. Since sometimes the order is not approved, there can be sample chips that don't match any chip in play. Sometimes samples are made on speculation, hoping to get an order. Artwork would have been done by the manufacturer in either case. These are typically cancelled by the maker before they leave the source, at least by the major makers who are licensed to sell in Nevada. (T.R. King no longer sells to Nevada casinos).

I don't know whether you can still buy T.R. King "old chips", but when I first got into this hobby back in '94 I inquired of them and was sent a fax listing all the 'vault chips' they had for sale. There were MANY very scarce obsolete chips listed, all uncirculated, and all uncancelled. Prices seemed high to me at the time (some as high as $100), but I was new and not buying rare chips yet. Today, they seem very cheap [g].

Keep in mind, too, that T.R. King has made replichips for private players. The El Rancho Vegas SMCRWN chips with the odd inserts were made by them long after ERV closed. These were highlighted in the club bulletin several years ago with a warning to collectors. Basically, when you see a SMCRWN chip that looks like it's never seen any play, ask some questions before you assume it's genuine.