Leonidas,

Although I buy shiny new chips, I also like the old beaten up ones with cigarette burns and the such. In fact those marks reflect a history as well, I much prefer to hold chip in my hand that has been used and feel the history that that chip has seen. The shiny new unused LE's (which I do collect as well) which are not evevn intended to be used at the tables may just as well have nothing to do with a casino, they could sell them in stores, they could package 5 of them with a stick of gum.