it has been most prevalent in new Paulsons or older C&J chips. Case in point, the $2 Landmark chip below was sold to me as new. When I got it, it had that "new chip" lustre/shine that made me think, "Now that's fresh from the cage new!" The Aladdin chip had it as well, but less noticeable due to the larger inlay.

Of course, there are other chips that don't seem to have it, even if all the cross hatching is there under magnification and I can't discern any wear; I'm not sure if that means it was handled a couple of times, or if the chip just was made without the 'new gloss' application (if in fact there is such a thing).

As for whether the gloss is just some by-product of the manufacturing process or a separate step, I couldn't begin to guess. But seeing it there on a new acquisition (at least that was sold to me as new ) is always a comforting sight

Brent J. Jensen
orbis non sufficit