OFFICIAL CC&GTCC GRADE & CONDITION DESCRIPTIONS
I. GRADING DESCRIPTIONS or STANDARDS are a result of natural use of chips and tokens. The following five grades have been adopted and endorsed by the Casino Chips & Gaming Tokens Collectors Club: NEW, SLIGHTLY USED, AVERAGE, WELL-USED, POOR

GRADE	CHIPS	TOKENS
New (N)	Never used in games; square and round edge chips will be as from the manufacturer with absolutely no wear, no dings or nicks; no scratches on surface of chip or inlay.	Never used in games or slot machines; only slight handling marks on higher relief surfaces, commonly referred to as "bag marks" from being jostled upon delivery; original mint luster and sheen present; no signs of wear. [Compare with coin standard “brilliant uncirculated” and “uncirculated.”]
Slightly Used (SU)	Only slight signs of use, edge still crisp but ever so slightly dulled with very little wear; cross hatching may show slight wear near edge; few or no edge nicks; still retains luster in mold design; bold hot-stamp; inlays excellent.	Near mint condition with minimum circulation; very minor rubs & scratches; retains most of the luster & sheen. [Compare with coin standard “almost uncirculated.”]
Average (A)	Typical chip found in play after months/years of use; slightly rounded edges; will have minor defects such as small nicks on edges; inlays are beginning to show even wear and about half of the cross hatching has worn from the body surface; hot-stamps have dulled, beginning to show even wear and may be missing a small amount of foil.	Typical token found in play after months/years of play; will display many surface scratches and edge dings; may still retain a little luster or sheen. [Compare with coin standard “circulated.”]
Well-Used (WU)	Moderate and uniform wear of edge, surface and hot stamp; noticeable edge nicks and/or surface scratches; no luster in mold design; cross hatching is nearly worn off; hot-stamp is still readable but much of the foil is missing.	Scratches, dents, no luster or sheen; well-used token that has seen considerable use. [Compare with coin standard “very circulated.”]
Poor (P)	Edges that were formerly sharp and square, are now well worn like bicycle tires; original hot-stamp foil is mostly missing with only the recesses visible (may have to hold towards a light); moderate to large chips (nicks); surface cross hatching barely visible (if at all); severe scratches to inlay or chip surface; severe color fading; partial wear up to half of CHIPCO design from the edge to the center of the chip. (Damage, such as cracks, breaks, missing inlay or other chip structure, do not apply to this category.)	Severe edge dings and/or scratches/ gouges; pitted, corroded or blackened. [Compare with coin standard “worn.”]
Specimen, Sample, Prototype, Pattern	Produced by the manufacturer as imprimaturs of a type of chip, or for submission to a gaming operator or gaming control authority as representative, for approval. May or may not be completely finished.	Produced by the manufacturer as imprimaturs of a type of token, or for submission to a gaming operator or gaming control authority as representative, for approval. May or may not be completely finished.


II. CONDITION DESCRIPTIONS or STANDARDS are unnatural changes in chips and tokens as a result of other causes. Specimens in this "Condition" category may be graded in any of the five "Grading Descriptions." A cancelled, damaged or defective chip or token can be graded in any category from “NEW" to "POOR." However, a dirty, cracked or faded chip cannot be graded as NEW, even if it has not been played in a casino. It is not in the original grade as when it was made. The "Condition" category consists of the following terms that should be used as qualifiers to further accurately describe the five grades: (Examples: New/Clipped; Average/Warped)

1. CANCELED or MODIFIED (Either by the manufacturer or the casino)	Drilled E. Bent Notched F. Painted Overstamped G. Plated Clipped
2. DAMAGE	Severe nicks or chunks O. Corrosion Loose or missing inlay P. Anodized for different colors Cracked Q. Plated Broken R. Obliteration of details Warped Permanent stain Severe fading Cigarette burn(s), fire damage Over-cleaning Severe scratching or gouging Shaved edge (example: to fit in a bezel) Water damage Burial damage Clouding of sterling silver tokens, a symptom of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) exposure
3. MANUFACTURER DEFECTS OR MODIFICATIONS	Inlay or die strike off-center (slight, moderate, extreme) Some of the script or photo is missing from the inlay Some of the hot-stamp is missing Manufacturer modification (example: one side of chip includes manufacturer's advertising information, even though the other side uses the actual casino chip design) Ivory chips only - nerve holes (small, moderate, extreme, as a "see through") Foreign material struck into tokens
4. MANUFACTURER ERRORS	Incorrect inlay or graphic (example: Inlay or graphic is supposed to be different on each side of chip, but it is the same; mismatched dies used for tokens) Wrong mold Double-strike (token) or of hot-stamp (chip) Mistake in color or number of edge inserts Strikes on metals other than standard (tokens) Railroad edge strikes Planchet clips (tokens) Strikes on wrong size planchets (tokens)
5. PROOF or PROOF-LIKE	For tokens, pieces produced on highly polished planchets and double-struck to produce an exceptional image on a mirror-like surface.
6. CLEANLINESS (or the lack thereof, resulting in a soiled chip or token)	This may not be a permanent condition. To clean or not to clean is the choice of the owner. While cleaning chips is a commonly accepted practice for aesthetic or hygienic purposes, it does not improve the grade but may damage the chip and diminish its value and grade. On the other side, non-cleaning should have no effect on the grade unless the specimen is so dirty that grading is not possible. In a situation involving a permanent stain that cannot be easily removed, the chip or token will fall into the "Damaged" category. Some collectors take the position that chips and tokens should remain in their "natural state" and should not be cleaned. With respect to tokens, some take the position that, as with coins, cleaning constitutes a change of condition.