Yes, I have never sold or traded a chip that was the only one I had. I have told the story of how I started collecting in past threads, so won't bore everyone.
One of the chips given to me that day was a $1 Bugsy chip. I did not know of its value until I discovered the club in 1995. There were several other nice NV chips in the bag. From that day on, I picked up chips whenever I saw them.
Did I call myself a chip collector? No! I did not know there was such a thing.

As I said the illegals facinated me and I was there, on the tail end of an era playing poker with the guys that lived (or you might say) made the era.