Collector's Edition Note

Due to issues with the manufacturer of this line, orders for the Protege line will not be taken after August 15th, 2009, and the popular Cigar & Snifter mold will unfortunately be retired. If you already own this line, you know that's both good and bad news. The good news is that it will become a collector's item and likely see a significant increase in value on the secondary market. On the down side, you won't be able to buy them retail anymore to add to your set. We have about 12,000 of these chips on our shelves, and are well stocked in certain denominations. Many complete orders can and will be shipped out immediately. To accommodate existing customers that need to fill our their sets before production ceases, we've opened up ordering on all denominations. As such, some orders may be partially backordered or completely backordered for a few months. If you need chips immediately, try our Le Paulson Noir line.

Limited Edition Protege Supplementals

For a limited time, we are offering fifteen supplemental chips that compliment our core Protege line. While some of these chips may be added to our core line, many of these denominations will only be offered during this one time pre-buy event.

About the Protege Clay Poker Chip Line

The Protégé clay poker chip line is the outcome of an innovative project where a poker chip collecting community was given full reign on designing every element of a new chip line to fit into Sidepot Gaming Company’s retail mix. We sponsored the project, and helped to moderate the progression of the design. It was largely a blank slate project and the deeply knowledgeable community was given the latitude to affect nearly every element of the chip. When the project started, there was a palette of 35 or so chip colors, 15 or so edge spot configurations, and 10 or so printed inlay shapes. Combined there were literally millions of options for the community to choose from.

By the end of the project, the collective influence of the community pushed us in directions we never imagined from the outset. In addition to the truly inspired chip colors and design they voted in as the winner, they both guided us to create one of the heaviest clay chips on the market and persuaded us to bring back true punched/shaped inlays, a throwback poker chip inlay feature that hadn’t been seen in the consumer poker chip market for several decades. What was initially planned to be a 60-90 day project ended up taking closer to 9 months. What our designers initially thought was a bit of a gamble, turned into one of the most anticipated high-end poker chip lines of the past few years, if not ever.

With over 150 active participants making thousands of collective contributions and voting on every element of the chip design, the Protégé chip line is, we believe, as close as one can come to a grassroots, collaborative community design project. And it worked! The truly beautiful winning chip line proves the promise of what can be accomplished by tapping into the collective intelligence and creativity of a highly interested group of casino chip fanatics.

Cigar & Snifter mold

The Protégé line uses Sidepot’s throwback Cigar & Snifter mold, what some insiders in the poker chip industry consider the finest mold ever produced. The engraving design features an intricate cigar and snifter design, repeated 8 times around the track of the chip. Two concentric circles frame this repeating design, one inside and one outside.

Like our previous flagship line, the InPlay Clay, the innovation that really sets the Protégé line apart from every poker chip in the world is the innovative smooth feel of the track and edge of the chip combined with the popular textured, cross-hatched inlay surface. Unlike all other clay chips in the world, which come out of the factory with a rough surface, our Protégé chip has an unmistakable smooth feel right out of the box - exactly like a chip that has been properly broken-in within the casino environment.

Industry Leading Innovation! Vintage true shaped/punched inlays.- The unquestionable marquee of our exclusive Protege clay poker chip line. A highly coveted poker chip feature in the casino chip collecting industry for years, and unavailable for several decades on newly produced chips, the Protege line eloquently brings back this classic retro styling.

Industry Leading Innovation! Smooth clay touch and feel built right into the mold of the chip – A major innovation for home game poker chips that gives them the feel of a poker chip that’s been properly broken-in within a casino environment.

Award-winning Colors and Inlay Design! Award-winning design by William R. Coughlan.

100% Authentic Casino Chips - Same clay chips, same manufacturer, as those used in numerous popular Las Vegas casinos including the prestigious Aladdin.

Exclusive mold - This chip line uses Sidepot Gaming Company's highly touted throwback mold design, the Cigar & Snifter mold.

Textured cross-hatched inlay surface - Not flat and lifeless just because it’s easier to make.

Chip Weight - 10 gram average.

Chip Diameter - 39mm.

Chip Construction - Compression-molded clay.