As you can see by my CC & GTCC number I am relatively a "newbie" to the hobby. In 1990 I did start collecting $1 house chips from the various casinos that I would visit while playing craps. In 1994 I moved to Biloxi, MS and went to work for the Palace Casino - Valet Parking. 
About 25% of our guests would "tip" with a chip or two, and many times we would get toked with a chip from one of the other area casinos. Well, I kept all my chips and tokens in a big jar at home, thinking some day when I need a few hundred dollars I could go cash them in! A year and a half later I moved to Tunica, MS, then to Baton Rouge, LA, then to New Orleans, LA. One day I pulled out the jar from a box and thought I better go cash them in, I drive to Biloxi one weekend to find to my dismay - the Biloxi Belle is closed, Gold Shore is closed, Lady Luck is closed! I am thinking, "What the heck am I going to do with these worthless chips?"
In December of 1999 I discovered eBay! I was a McDonald's manager for 10 years previous to valet parking mgr, so I had lots of McDonald's pins to get rid of, not to mention those "worthless chips" from Biloxi. It was when I starting ebaying my chips that I found a whole New World to Chip Collecting! I had many chippers emailing me wanting to know if I would trade face for one of their obs chips, or GO for GO, or Millennium for Millennium, before long I had many chips from all over the country to add to my collection. Otherwise I would have had to travel to each city and state to get these. Every time I visit a casino I always pick up extras to trade and to put on eBay. Chippers I have met through my eBay auctions and this chip board have been just wonderful - Jill, Jim, Pat, Doug, Brian, just to name a few - they are the reason I joined the CC & GTCC and want to be a part of this Great Hobby!
I am so looking forward to my first convention...........and believe me I will at every trade session to enhance my collection and have the hope of doing the same for others!!
P.S. I just re-read my letter and didn't mean to give you my life story 
