"The artificial rarity ONLY lasts as long as the chip is contolled. If control is given up (returning the chips to the cage) the artificial rarity goes with it. The buyer of this chip at inflated prices does have a risk of loss. A real loss caused by the chip coming back into the market place via returned chips and a drop in price."

Jim; On the face of your statement, it sounds logical. However, in Atlantic City I know of at least two chip issues where the unsold chips were returned to the cage and were deliberately defaced (scraped on concrete) by the spiteful individual(s) who had no place else to go with their overpurchased quantities and who didn't want anyone else to obtain what they returned.... thereby protecting their "investment" by not making collectible LE chips available to the next would-be purchaser.