Steve; With all due respect to our departed mutual friend Bob Mera and his famous 30-day auctions..... trust me on this one. Many posted names of high bidders were ficticious. No, not because they were shills.... the posted bids were genuine. It's just that some bidders, with some degree of notoriety, didn't want their identity disclosed because if they expressed interest in the chip at a certain price, then the chip must be worth more (to other bidders).

In a convoluted way, this ties in with Jim Reilly's thread and various posts made by others.... that a shill bid drives up prices because the perception exists that, "hey, if Joe Shwartz thinks that chip is worth $30, hell, I'll go another $5"..... even though the bidder doesn't know shill bidder Shwartz from Shineola.