I recently got some Casino de Vichy chips from a fellow in Holland. I'm showing a scan of the ones from Holland, and the newer one from my collection that has been revalued by 1/100. Both started out as 1000 ff.

The old one smells of embalming fluid and has smaller by about a millimeter in diameter. Also, the lunettes in this one are cracked and deformed. As the transparent scan shows, the lunettes are the same color, but arranged differently with respect to the chip markings. Both show a white center layer when viewed from the edge.

Who can tell me more about these? Did the chips start out the same color? Is the lunette placement random or were they done differently on a reorder many years ago? Will the ancient ones eventually turn to dust? Is there a storage method that will slow down the deterioration? Are the antique versions considered more valuable? (or are there too few collectors of this material to make a difference?) This casino opened in 1880 according to TGT; could the older one go back that far in time?