Paulson chips: company history, the Top Hat and Cane mold and its variants
Paulson is the name most often attached to casino chips in collectors' wanted lists, usually followed by a mold abbreviation. This article sets out what is documented about the company, the mold names, and what collectors mean when they write "Paulson THC".
In this guide
The company
Paul-Son Gaming Corporation was founded in Las Vegas in 1963 by Paul S. Endy Jr., who bought a bankrupt dice maker and named the business partly as a reference to being Paul Endy's son. It opened a Reno office in 1974 and an Atlantic City office in 1978, and moved manufacturing to San Luis, Mexico in 1982. Its company history credits it with pioneering compression-molded chips with full-color graphics in the early 1990s, and it went public in 1994.1
In 2002 Paul-Son's shareholders approved a reverse merger with the French firm Bourgogne et Grasset, which owned the Bud Jones Company, creating Gaming Partners International (GPI).1 GPI's later annual report lists Paulson, Bud Jones, Bourgogne et Grasset and T-K among its brands and says the Paulson brand is its thermo-compression-molded "clay" chip.2 The Bud Jones and other makers article covers the other names.
What THC means
THC in the chip hobby means Top Hat and Cane, the hat-and-cane rim mold associated with Paulson. A Poker Chip Forum member (username BGinGA) describes the history this way; treat it as a member's account rather than a published source:3 4
- The mold was designed in the mid-1950s by Bill Christy and Bud Jones for the Christy & Jones company (C&J), and the chips were made for them by Burt Co.
- After C&J dissolved in 1965, Burt Co. went on making THC chips for Paulson, and in the mid-1970s the molds moved into Paulson's own production.
- C&J chips are described as slightly larger than 39 mm, unleaded, with polished mold cups that give a shiny look, whereas Paulson chips have acid-etched surfaces.
The hat-and-cane design is also described on the Poker Chip Forum's mold overview as Paulson's signature rim mold, as T.R. King's was a crowns design.5
THC variants collectors name
Forum members distinguish several Paulson molds with abbreviations:6 7
| Abbreviation | Meaning (per forum members) |
|---|---|
| THC | Top Hat and Cane, the standard hat-and-cane mold |
| SCV / LCV | Short Cane Version and Long Cane Version, two THC variants so subtle that one member says reading glasses are needed to tell them apart |
| RHC | Reverse Hat and Cane, a separate mold with a larger inlay area and no circular groove around the outside; described as MD-76b |
| IHC | Inverted Hat and Cane, described as the standard oversize 43 mm Paulson mold, MD-76c |
Another poster notes the community has settled on a fairly standard set of abbreviations, with RHC treated as its own mold and SCV and LCV as subsets of THC.6 Other Paulson molds mentioned include a card-and-pips mold, a suits mold and a "Crest & Seal" 50 mm design.8
Hot stamp, inlay and "solids"
Many Paulson THC chips carry a hot-stamped logo or initials instead of an inlay. Forum members describe "solids" as chips of uniform color with no edge spots, such as solid white, red, green, black and gold Paulson THC, which are popular as bases for custom relabels.9 The CCA's glossary defines a hot stamp as a foil or ink design pressed into the chip with heat.10 Wanted-list entries like "THC 8V hot-stamp" identify the rim mold, edge-spot design and decorating method separately. In a collector reference discussion, 8V is mapped to spot style 20.11
Lead and Paulson THCs
Collectors prize older leaded Paulson THC chips. The BGinGA timeline, as quoted in a Poker Chip Forum thread, puts leaded Paulson-made THCs at roughly 1975 to 1998, with production moving to unleaded formulas between about 1998 and 2006.3 The leaded chips article covers what that means and how to handle them. 3D14, which appears beside THC and leaded on wanted lists, is an edge-spot design, mapped to style 15 in a collector reference discussion. It does not identify the rim mold or prove lead content.1112
Paulson in the context of sets
"Paulson cash set" and "Paulson tournament set" are generic descriptions: a cash set carries real denominations (for example 25 cents, $1, $5, $25), while a tournament set carries point values such as T25 or T100. The cash versus tournament article explains the difference and how relabels fit in. The same wanted lists often ask for "playable Paulson sets", meaning sets in good enough condition and large enough numbers to use at a table.
Where to read more
- The Poker Chip Forum's mold-related threads and its glossary pages.
- The Museum of Gaming History's ChipGuide, a catalog run by the Casino Collectibles Association that documents casino chips and their makers.13
- GPI's SEC filings for corporate history.2
Compare the rim before buying a Paulson replacement
When completing an existing set, ask for a close-up of the whole rim on both sides. Do not rely on a large center graphic that hides the surrounding impressions. Keep the rim mold, inlay size and edge-spot pattern in separate fields; they are independent parts of the chip's description.
| Your requirement | Evidence to request |
|---|---|
| THC-family match | Clearly visible hat-and-cane impressions and circular detail |
| SCV or LCV variant | Sharp close-ups of the canes, compared with a reference |
| RHC match | Full-face image showing the center area and outer rim |
| Oversized chip | Diameter measurement rather than a size inferred from the photo |
| Original artwork | Confirmation that the inlay was not replaced or covered |
A sample purchase is useful when the objective is handling or playing with the chips. For a historic display, the casino issue and originality matter in addition to the mold. A genuine Paulson base chip with new artwork is still an altered specimen rather than an original example of the printed venue.
Searches that distinguish the variants
Use Paulson THC SCV chips, Paulson LCV hot stamp, Paulson RHC casino chips or Paulson IHC 43mm, then add the venue and denomination. Broad 'Paulson poker set' searches often mix collector releases, casino stock and relabel projects, which need different evidence and different buying decisions.
Sources and further reading
- Paul-Son Gaming Corporation History, FundingUniverse: founding, expansion, 2002 merger.
- Gaming Partners International Corp, Form 10-K for fiscal 2008, U.S. SEC: brands and chip types.
- School me on THC chips for a set, Poker Chip Forum: member accounts of THC history and the lead timeline.
- Christy & Jones vs Paulson THC chips, Poker Chip Forum: differences between C&J and Paulson chips.
- Mold Design Overview, Poker Chip Forum: rim molds and distributors.
- Paulson Molds: RHC, SCV, LCV, what are these abbreviations?, Poker Chip Forum: member explanations.
- Paulson Mold Variations, Poker Chip Forum: further variation discussion.
- Some General Terminology Questions, Poker Chip Forum: other Paulson mold names.
- THC Solids Chip Set: Tourney or Cash? Re-Label?, Poker Chip Forum: member explanation of solids.
- Chip terms FAQ, Casino Collectibles Association: hot stamp definition.
- Name that spot, Poker Chip Forum: firsthand collector discussion mapping edge-spot names to numbered styles, including 3D14 and 8V.
- Found: 2 racks of a leaded 3d14 chip, Poker Chip Forum: wanted-thread use of the term.
- ChipGuide, Museum of Gaming History: catalog of casino chips operated by the Casino Collectibles Association.