Chip collectors have their own vocabulary. These are the terms used across this guide.
- Cancelled chip
- A retired chip marked so it cannot be played again, usually by drilling, notching or stamping.
- Catalogue number
- The permanent ACG number given to each chip in this guide, for example ACG04171.
- Denomination
- The face value printed on a chip. Roulette chips usually have none.
- Edge spots
- Coloured inserts around the rim of a chip that let dealers identify it from the side of a stack.
- Hot stamp
- A design or text pressed onto the chip with heated foil, often gold or silver. Recorded as HS in the inlay field.
- House chip
- A standard gaming chip with a face value, used at the casino’s table games.
- Inlay
- The label in the centre of a chip, carrying the casino name and value.
- Jeton
- A rectangular or oval gaming piece, more common in European-style games.
- Match play
- A promotional chip that must be played alongside a cash bet.
- Mould
- The pattern moulded into the body of a chip. A key clue to its maker and era.
- NCV
- No cash value. Chips that cannot be cashed in, such as tournament and promotional chips.
- Non-negotiable
- A chip that can be bet but not cashed, usually issued to premium players.
- Plaque
- A large rectangular piece used for high values.
- Roulette chip
- A table-specific chip whose value is set at buy-in. See roulette chips explained.
- Sample
- A chip made by a manufacturer to show a design, often marked SAMPLE or with no casino name.
- Souvenir chip
- A chip made to sell or give away as a keepsake rather than for play.
- Tournament chip
- A no-cash-value chip used in poker or other tournaments.
- Training chip
- A chip used to train dealers, often in unusual colours or marked for training.
- UV mark
- A security mark visible only under ultraviolet light.
