Welcome to the world of Harley Davidson Poker Chip Trading!
These are the basic how-to's to get you started. This includes some simple rules to keep you off of the no-trade lists.
So you want to trade chips? Have you seen a therapist? Beware, chipping is addicting!
There are over 800 dealers in the United States. Some people just collect the dealers in single states, some collect United States only, some people collect from everywhere. Some people collect "sigs" and others only collect "regulars".
There are two different kinds of chips. They are signature chips and regular chips.
Signature chips have the words "Harley Davidson" around the outside edge. Signature chips usually have colored/black edges. Regular chips have the face card symbols "A" "K" "Q" "J". The regular chips usually have colored/white edges.
Signature chip - "Harley Davidson" around the outside
Regular Chip - A,K,Q,J, around outside.
Getting Started: Go to your nearest Harley Davidson dealership and buy some poker chips. Give it a start with about 10 chips. They cost anywhere from $1.00 -$3.00 each depending on your location. Get different colors. Take a picture of the chips you have to trade (don't forget to keep one for your collection) and post on your favorite chip trading website.
Keep accurate records. When someone wants to trade, get their name and address. Which chip they want (you may have several dealer chips) and the date you sent it. In the sample below I have the name and address of the person I am sending to, on the right is the date I sent the chip and the dealer chip I sent. The underlined part at the bottom is the name of the chip and state I received from them as well as the date I got it. (These are not real names or addresses - they are just shown for an example of my log book)
Mailing the chip: This is a challenging part!
Most of the mail we send is processed through enormous sorting machines. A chip in an envelope makes the chip "non-machineable", because it is no longer a flat envelope and may get hung up in the machine. We are supposed to write "non-machineable" on the envelope and have to pay an extra .22 cents to ship an envelope with a chip in it. BUT - sometimes the envelope still gets processed through the machine (despite writing non-machineable AND paying .22 cents extra). When this happens a loose chip can get pushed right out of the envelope. The chip is lost forever and you (or your recipient) , get an empty envelope!
An envelope I got last week. NO CHIP!!!!
We can help our chips get to their destination by securing it into an envelope or securing the envelope. TAPE is our friend.
Don't put tape directly onto a chip. Tape residue is hard to get off of a chip without damaging it. Peeling tape off of a chip can peel some of the writing off of it as well.
Put the chip in a small envelope or wrap it in paper or put it in a small baggie purchased at a Head Shop (if you have to ask, that's another blog...)
Tape the envelope onto a larger piece of paper - like a card or sheet of paper.
An envelope completely taped closed is hard to get into (and practically impossible for the chip to pop out). You will need scissors to open the taped envelope.
Some types of small containers to put your chip in before taping it to a card or onto the inside of the envelope. Both work well.
Take your envelopes to the post office to find out what it costs. A simple card with one or two chips will be covered by the .93 cent stamps (3oz) including the .22 cent non-machineable fee.
I take pictures on motorcycle trips and make my own card with a picture of my bike on the front. I like making the cards but all you need is a package of small thank-you note cards to start.
Happy chipping!
There are way to many people getting ripped off by post office Nazi's! You probably read that my husband works for the post office so he gave me the inside scoop.
Buy stamps!! The regular "Forever" stamps are good for a regular sized card/letter in an envelope. To mail a chip you will need a "Forever" stamp and an extra .21 cent stamp because it is non-machineable. To mail two chips, two "Forever" stamps will cover the cost including the .21 cent non-machineable fee. If you want to send three chips, it is best to go with a padded envelope.
Make sure you use red ink and write "Non-Machineable" on both sides of the envelope. If you have more than one envelope to mail, bundle them together with a rubber band around the stack and add a sheet of paper around them that says "Non-Machineable". This extra step insures that an actual human has to touch them and process them. Don't forget that tape is your friend, except for directly on the chip.
Recap:
1 chip/1card/1 envelope - 1 Forever stamp and 1 non-machineable stamp .21 cents
2 chips/1card/1envelope - 2 Forever stamps
3 chips - go with a padded envelope, you will have to pay parcel for this one.
As always - Happy Chipping!!
11-19-16
Just a little update.
Here is how to post pictures of chips:
Not like this.
1
