Our Company History

Metal die cut designs made for home use were very popular in the 1930's and 1940's. The 3 shown above were made of plaskon in 1935.

The Vernon Country Club, a mob run illegal club in Chicago, had the largest metal die cut center ever made. On the right is a chip from J.P.Morgan's yacht "Corsair". Both chips are from the late 1940's.

By 1935 the Portland Billiard Ball Company had changed it's name to the Burt Company and developed a completely new style of chip called the metal die cut. Die cutting metal foil with unique designs and applying them to chips became the company's signature product before the second world war. From 1941 to 1945 chip production was limited. Most of the company's work was in government contracts, the manufacture of ammo cans being primary.

Our metal die cuts were used in a number of casinos in the late 1940's. These 3 chips we made for the Tahoe Village Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Benny "Bugsy" Siegel used our chips when he opened the famous Flamingo Casino in 1946. In June 1947 he past away after a disagreement with his business partners.

Left to right: this chip/1935 is the first printed center chip we produced; the next 3 chips/1947 are called Seal & Crest with printed center and no rim design; the next chip/1947 is called a reverse die cut; the last chip/1947 is a die cut.