... or meant to imply, that condition was not a factor. My point is that condition is far secondary to rarity and equal to or less important than many other factors not taken into account by grading. With coins and baseball cards, quantity produced and distribution is readily available information. Not so with chips. A rare chip can become not so rare in the blink of an eye. How does grading guarantee the value?

This is a hobby for the collectors, by the collectors. Some collectors are compulsive about the alignment of inserts. Some collectors want an example of each chip that meets their collecting criteria. Condition is quite secondary. Some collectors value the history reflected in a old chip with cigarette burns. Is the grade of a chip improved by cleaning the dirt off, or are you removing the history? Polish an antique candle stick, i.e. remove the patina, and you may have reduced it's value to true collectors. Old chips are more like antiques than coins.

Now, while I'm on a roll, I think it's appropriate for the club to take a stand, and practice what it preaches in it's own dealings such as the auction. I'm not sure it's appropriate for the club to attempt to control collectors. A chip is still a chip, even if it's imprisoned in a slab.