About 12 years ago I started to keep a $5 chip from what ever casino I played or worked in. I wasn't a serious collector I just fell in love with these little pieces of clay and plastic. Freinds and associates that knew of my hobby would bring me back chips from thier travels and I would add to my collection. About three months ago my wife noticed that I hadn't added anything to my collection for a few years and suggested I go on the internet to see if there was a way to add to my collection. She told me to try E-Bay, I did and was amazed at the number off listings that were available. I started winning a lot of auctions and even got a little carried away. ($400.00 USD in one month). She asked me to have fun but slow down a little. Through these auctions I came across this BB and the CCGTCC. For the first couple of weeks I just read your posts and was dumbfounded at the level of knowledge that you people have about so many things. I learned more Las Vegas history in the first week of reading than I had my whole life. I read about the different molds and manufactures, the rare and not so rare chips, the fantasy and the fakes. You people opened up my tiny world of chip collecting and for this I am grateful. This must be the place the chip collecting gods hang out. I decided to join your club.I agreed with the anti-slabbing drive and sent in my support for the table and the chapter. My Father in law is a large coin collector and he enlightened me to how slabbing ruined his hobby. When I posted my new number the welcomes poured in from many members. To further impress me I received several offers of free chips to welcome me to the club. If that wasn't enough I won three contests and more chips are coming in the mail. I decided to post some chips to trade from casinos around me and within an hour they were gone and I have more chips coming. Then I posted chips that I was looking for and a member is sending me 10 and didn't ask for anything in return. I'm still is shock over that one. When I get to Vegas dinner and poker buy in is on me. Another member in AC is sending chips that I didn't even ask for and is not expecting anything in return. This club and its members have in a very short time shown me that honesty and intergrity are still a large part of life and you people are the best at showing this. The reason I wrote this post is to thank all of you for accepting me into your world and to let other people who may be thinking about this club how wondeful it can be. People like Glenn G have no idea the bridges he burned with his insulting and damaging post the other day. I love the politics, these discussions are what keep us going from day to day and give us a reason to get out of bed and boot the kids off the computer so we can see what the topic of the day is.
Thank you all and I hope to meet everyone of you some day.

Remember Slabbing will ruin this hobby, lets snuff it like a California brush fire before it gets out of control.