I collect older chips and would rather prefer to have a graded chip to guard against bogus chips or counterfeits.

How is having a chip graded going to guard against bogus chips or counterfeits. I would have little problem with a service which offered to guarantee the authenticity of chips even if they placed the chip in a slab.

However the current slabbing issue isn't about such a service. It is about a service which purports to apply a numerical grading system (whose entire details are unknown -- we do know that it "includes procedures" from the C&W book) to evaluate the condition of the chip.

At this time the grading standard being used is not recognized by a significant amount of collectors--in fact I don't think I have seen anyone but the authors use it. Most collectors prefer to describe the condition of their chips catagorically (i.e. good, mint, damaged).

BTW, if you identify yourself and you are in fact looking to make some significant purchases of chips, there are quite a few people here who know much more than ICG who I am sure would be glad to give you advice and tips for free. They do it all the time.

SO you can pay for ICG's "expertise" or you can get real expert advise for free, you twell me which one is better.