Greg…

First of all, although I would never allow myself to be put on the defensive by a hip-shooter such as yourself, I will explain nonetheless that I am part of no gang. I've seen the "gang" accusations before along with the associated names and I can assure you that I have never even met any of the "gang" members.

More to the point, though, I will say that I am not able to visit the ChipBoard every day due to a usually hectic work schedule and the fact that I have to contend with two EverQuest players for computer time at home. When I am able to visit, however, my postings are usually responses to others that I take issue with, and yours qualified.

I have actually read most of the slabbing threads in their entirety. I joined the "list" early and the chapter after that. The "list", I feel, will be the reason that slabbing never becomes a force in our hobby. In my opinion, it has already gone far in preventing this heinous practice from getting a real foothold, and I applaud Andy Hughes et. al. for putting it together and for keeping in everyone's face. But I digress…

I personally think that slabbing is bad for us chip COLLECTORS, if not necessarily for the hobby in general, and that the CC>CC should reflect that in its policies, as it is a Chip and Token COLLECTORS club and not an INVESTORS club, or a DEALERS club, etc. I have not yet seen a single post wherein anyone has suggested that slabbing a chip would hold any benefit to a chip COLLECTOR. And while I can see a possible benefit for those who are participating in our hobby as investors or sellers or auctioneers, I don't find their views on the subject to be very compelling.

The attacks and personal slams that you mention have taken place, and I find that they have usually been warranted, if not provoked outright. There are many, myself included, who are quite passionate about the slabbing issue, because we feel the future of our hobby is in jeopardy. We can point to the Coin and Sports Card INDUSTRIES as validation of our fear. There are certainly those with other agendas, and I have a respect for their way of participating in our hobby. There are certainly slabbing-company shills and others who are here to make a buck and have no interest whatsoever in the future of chip collecting. I have no respect for them, and, evidently, neither does the "gang".

If you inferred from my post that I thought that you were "stupid" then I apologize… that was not my intention. I do think, however, that your posts and responses indicate that you have not put much thought into this matter and that you have nothing constructive or substantive to say about it. Posts such as yours are common here and are seemingly intended solely to add fuel to the fire. You are, therefore, just a guilty as those attackers you accuse.