One thing I’ve learned during my time in this hobby is that there are many different ways people enjoy collecting casino chips.

Some collectors focus on individual chips — the history of a specific casino, a rare mold, a unique inlay, or a piece of gaming history tied to a particular place and time. That tradition is at the heart of the CCA and has preserved an incredible amount of gaming history.

Others collect sets of chips — the full group of denominations that were designed to work together on a gaming table. Many of these collectors build playable sets that are used in home games and tournaments, allowing people to experience the same style of gaming equipment used in casinos. For many collectors, that is how their interest in chips begins.

Both approaches celebrate the same artifact — the casino chip — just from slightly different angles.

Single-chip collectors often focus on the history of individual pieces.
Set collectors often focus on how those pieces worked together in the gaming environment they were designed for.

Over the years there has sometimes been a misunderstanding between these groups, largely because they developed in different communities. But the truth is that the two groups share far more in common than they differ.

Both care deeply about:

• the design and manufacture of gaming chips
• preserving gaming history
• learning about casinos and the stories behind them
• sharing the hobby with others

The sets collecting community is large and active, with thousands of collectors building sets, hosting games, researching molds, and discussing chip history every day. Many of them simply haven’t discovered the CCA yet, or weren’t sure if they belonged.

I believe they absolutely do.

The CCA has decades of knowledge, history, and passionate collectors. By welcoming collectors from all parts of the hobby — singles collectors, set collectors, casino memorabilia collectors, and new enthusiasts just discovering chips — we strengthen the entire community.

At the end of the day, we’re all drawn to the same thing: these wonderfully obsessive little clay discs and the history behind them.

The stronger and more inclusive our hobby becomes, the better it is for everyone.

Respectfully and focused on the future,
Dan Madrigrano
R9148
Candidate for Vice President – CCA