Silver Coins as poker chips

Bothuwui

I was thinking, If I can get cull silver dollars for $5, Walkers for $2.50, and mercs for $.50, they would make for a fun poker game. Figure a $50 buy in would get you 6 Silver dollars, 6 Walking Liberties, and 10 Mercury Dimes. That way, when your wife asks how much you lost, you can use the face value and honestly tell her $10 instead of $50. Now, where can I get these coins at these prices or cheaper?

IndianHeadMan

YOu should be able to get cull merc in bulk silver. I can by circ walkers in quanity (10 or more i think) at my local dealer for 2.50.

The dollars I don't know

FrattLaw

I kinda like this idea myself. It would be great to hear that "ching" sound silver makes when you're betting.

Michael

CapAnson

I could be wrong, but didn't some Las Vegas casinos for the longest time use actual silver dollars for 1$ chips? Can anyone confirm this?

Louis

The casinos did use silver dollars for a long time. Ever hear of the Binion hoard?

Conder101

<< <i>I could be wrong, but didn't some Las Vegas casinos for the longest time use actual silver dollars for 1$ chips? Can anyone confirm this? >>


Considering you could still get silver dollars for face value at the bank up till around 1968, Yes. In fact in the early 60's when the price of silver started rising and the casinos started having more problems getting silver dollars because too many people were taking them home, they even started grinding the dates off ubder the theory that this would make them less attractive as souvineers.

Dog97

Talking bout silver dollars as chips........

Here's 1 of my Binnys.
Just think, a desperate down & out gambler with 1 last chance to win back his $$ and the odds against him & the table obviously rigged, snatched his necklace off his neck (notice the hole) that his dear grandmother had given him on her death bed to remember her by as she begged him to give up his evil ways & vices, because it was the only thing he had left of value after a bad losing streak. He said a short prayer asking his grandmother & the Lord for forgivness, placed his bet, rolled the dice, lost and immediatly went outside and flung himself in front of the next 18 wheeler that came through town.
Mr. Binion was heard to remark "Oh goody goody! Another silver dollar for my stash in the desert."
Unable to holder by NGC due to the damage from the hole, the marketeers of the Binion hoard sent it to NCS but it wasn't doctored or net graded but simply holdered as authentic, & in NCS's own words, an "interest coin", with the Binion pedigree.

The one below it was actually used as a gambling token. A semi-key date though common in circ grade 1897-O

Bothuwui

So it looks like I can get the mercs and halves for what I'm looking for, but the dollars (Morgan or Peace), can I get them for about $5 each? Am I just asking too much? How about Silver Eagles? Any chance I can find some beat up ones for $5 each?

TommyB

I thought it would be cool to make poker chips for the really rich. Use old coins and put them in airtites and use those as the chips. the more money someone would spend, the nicer coins in the airtites.

Nice logo Indianheadman. Screw North Carolina.

Geoman

I do something similar, but not with silver. I usually stop by my local banks twice a month, and ask if they have any Eisenhower Dollars. We use these for our poker game, along with Kennedy Halves. It's kinda cool to see a whole pile of Ikes on the table, say when the pot goes up to $75. Usually it is a mix of Ikes and Kennedy's. The banks know I use them for "poker chips" and save any Ikes for me.