I am not criticizing anyone in this thread. I just want to say what I would do in a case like this -- a CURRENTLY AVAILABLE (on the tables --I guess-- for $5, and in many dealers’ price list for $7 or $8) chip going for $40+ at auction, where the auction description is harmless.

In general I don’t think currently available stuff should be auctioned, but we all do it --myself included-- for many reasons -- attracting customers for our price lists or web site, for the fun of it, for the money and the action, etc.

In this case I would be embarrassed to take $40 for a chip like this, knowing that the buyer would feel devastated when he would try to sell it or show it to knowledgeable persons.............. If an unusual/rare item were auctioned and there was runaway bidding which seems unreasonably high, it is somewhat of another story -- who is to say what it is worth? And there are so few or no comparable sales............... But I personally could not stomach selling (retail or auction or trade) a currently available (especially readily available from the casino tables) inexpensive chip for very high amounts........... (I always liked the idea of putting estimated values in auctions, though I don’t do it. Too lazy and too self-serving, I guess.)

Robert