The sun., 1883-12-16
POKER CHIPS.
Little or No Demand Now for Fine Ones
Except from Private Clubs.

"Ah! They're drug in tho market now,
especially the fine ivory ones" an old pawn
broker said as he ran his fingers among box
OF ivory disks and eyed them mcdtatively
and sadly THE time was when. III n sporting
man got into hard run OF luck and was short.
he could pawn his chips for something near
their real value. They wero almost as good as
gold. But now look what piles I've got OF
them! All those boxes arc full OF theml And
nobody wants them even though offer them
cheap rs dirt"
1t was n queer, dirty old place In which this
conversation was held Through tho grimy
windows weak. gray light filtered family
On tho broad window lodges laid a jumbed
mass OF anglers reels. innid chess boards
stringlcss guitars. keylcss flutes. antique
weapons. tawdry vases. and an infinite variety
of strange odds and ends and unrelated parts
OF things. Poking IN through tho dust on tho
shelves, like quaint tombstones rising out Of n
a qy nSa Of Is be
hind it we're occupied BY boxes. bales, bundles
and packages Of things, and the rest OF tho
sortment OF articles. tho packing up OF which
seemed TO have been abandoned midway in tho
and among them stood tho old pawnbrokor
with shrewd but not unkindly face, and fine
harmony in gray and brown tints between him
Do you take s n many chips nov from the
unlncky sports Z? tho reporter asked
:" don't take in anything now. I've given up
money ont Of the stun left on my hands. Iwish
9 there Hss in dereneo sSs between poker and
All You never had a good front seat, did
suspicion. No. there's no difference. Any
| chips yon can use in one game, you can In the
now. now and there 3 no demand for tools Tor for that that
sinful game. soit's best to call them poker chips.
which you will observe is the sign have in
And all these como from, hard-up sports 2"
a1y S e ei the thns supposed to be de-
stroyed by tho police ever find their way to
."I 'weMin't tell you if L knew. They give
'cm % their political friends, most likely.''
What nro tho chips worth z
Of their purchase, I've seen blues cost $50
each But in the ordinary commercial way.
t you buy them from the mannfaeturer new,
20 $55 for engraved ones for a set Of GOO, which
from $3.50 to IS a hundred, Tho ivory ones
are far m2Eo oXnensiysGso sso rahGmE II price from
10 size ana the engraving on them. OF course
sell all kinds at a very great reduction. Here
is sr n bSnrc sS1 G Yo@ tha hat M eSf
for sls u hundred. and yet they show no trace
Of the many thousands won and lost with them
| age. the white ones at least. and then OF
| course. they dccline greatly in value Blu,
| they are too expensive for use nowadays
| when the police arc liable to swoop down on
| the game md carry them off at any minute
The composition ones. are Just as good ms
ivory. stacking up quito as accurately. and
costing as have told you, very much less.
| can furnish them rs low rs $50 II thousand
and perhaps even less Tho principal demant
| for chips now is from poker clubs party o
gentlemen will mako up Il game for the winter
season. and during few nishts will put stipu
| lated sums into n kitty on certain hands
say thrres' and abovcto buy II set of chips
II they get upa good kitty they will want nice
! ivory chips. But a man can back up an erro
of Judgment in poker with composition Just a'
well rs he can in ivory. Now and then n sport
going out West or South to op"na game, par
ticuarly If it is to be n brace will come In fo
nsct of ivory chips. for style; but they are rar,
birds. Tho dealers who go down East seldom
have ANYTHING better than plain composition
Zeal ivory wouldn't be snie to deaf ont >, II |
paralyze the PLAYERS they'd steal it so the banl
would be out any way. Deal boxes? oh
there's stack Of them. They arc worth moth
ing now; no call for them. Gambling in Ney
York Is by no means played out. but 1t ism
what 1t used to be-"