John; Are you saying that folks don't slab brand new individual cents, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars, Sacagawea dollars that are included in recent year's proof sets, including current coinage? Jim Reilly and I have given hundreds of links to those items that are for sale.

I guess we still have to hammer this vivid point home.
IT'S A NUMBERS GAME! IT'S A NUMBERS GAME! IT'S A NUMBERS GAME!

MS65 brings higher prices than MS63 or MS64. MS69 & MS70 are supposed to represent perfection... or as close as one can expect to be perfect. MS70 is Flawless! The grading system that ICG was passing out at the Palace Station chip show (which has been reproduced on this bulletin board in previous posts) lists ELEVEN GRADES OF UNCIRCULATED chips! From MS60 to MS70! Folks, there ain't ELEVEN grades of chips from the poorest to the finest.... much less eleven grades of uncirculated chips. I defy ANYONE to show me.

Collectors who want the very best.... whether it be a $1 chip or a thousand dollar chip, pay big money for the very best..... no matter how common the chip is...... which drives up the price for everyone else.

We haven't even touched upon this aspect yet.... that you can bet will be forthcoming as more and more chips are graded and slabbed. This is what lies below the tip of the iceberg that everyone is focusing on now.

After significant quantities of chips are graded and slabbed, the grading companies issue what are called "population reports". They sell these reports as a way of generating even more money. Take any chip you want as an example. It doesn't matter whether this example chip is one worth $10, or one that is worth $500. A grading company may have seen 100 of those same chips that have been submitted for grading and slabbing. Maybe only three or four of them may be assigned a high MS grade (or CS for "chip state" if you prefer). A larger portion of them are assigned mid-MS grades, and the rest low MS grades down into the circulated grades. The higher the MS number, the higher the price that collectors will have to shell out for chips that are currently in a dealer's stock book all at the same price.... take your pick.

ICG want to become the final authority on what chips are beter than others. All other opinions become meaningless. What I (or anyone else says) a chip condition is means nothing. Most dealers offer a money-back guarantee if you are not happy with your chip purchases within a certain amount of time, in keeping with the club's Code of Ethics. ICG does not offer your money back if they have graded a chip improperly. ICG offers no guarantee as to the grade THEIR graders have assigned to a paritcular chip. The dealer who is selling ICG's graded chip is off the hook. He claims, "hey, that's not my grade, that's what ICG graded it as". "You saw that when you purchased it." "I'm not refunding your money, go see ICG".

Yep, no one can tell anybodybody else what to buy, or who to buy it from, but we sure as hell can tell everyone what some of the pitfalls are when you do so.

The bottom line is; It's YOUR influence that counts. Use it! Sign "The List" to send a clear message to the slabbers who are hell-bent on infiltrating our hobby and to others who would say, "we're here whether you like it or not."

After all, it's your hobby and your money; It's ICG's and Mark what's-his-name's business. As a club of over 2500+ members, we can attempt to discourage them, before it's too late .... if we really wish to. You say that you still don't agree? That's o.k. Buy what you want from whom you want. Just don't come crying, five years down the road, "Gee, why didn't someone (the club) do something about this when it all first started? This isn't the fun hobby that it was back in 2000."