Thanks for the link. I have bookmarked it for future reference. From reading some of the early responses to my post I would like to mention that I have heard of stories in the past where some people have made fakes by putting stickers on chips and altering the inserts with paint etc. to make them look like the old chips. Without being able to handle and see the chips in person it just seems risky to me to buy such chips on eBay or through the internet. It is just that once you get the chip in the mail, about a week later, it is often too late. Rather than get into a bidding war over a fake chip I would rather buy from a reputable dealer. In my case, Money is also an object. I can't afford most of the authentic antique chips. However, as I said, I will always keep my eyes out at garage sales where someone may be selling an old keepsake in a shoebox full of miscellaneous junk.

I have heard about the Boreland chips before and do understand that they have value when sold under the proper representation. This thread though does bring up a question that I have wondered about for some time. With modern computer scanning and printing technologies how difficult is it for someone to counterfit old chips and sell them as authentic? The thought of having books available or the web site you mentioned makes a lot of sense to compare and make sure all of the cheracteristics are accurate. But, if one is intent on duplicating those cheracteristics to fleece the collecting community, How possible is it? Especially, when the buyer is limited to a small grainy or out of focus thumbnails to judge by. I would also like to mention that there are still some sellers on eBay that do not even post pictures or if they do sometimes it is not a picture of the actual item but of a similar item.

The only real weapon to protecting everyone are the notices and warnings that are printed here. Thanks again,

Bill Schelhas