"1. If Mr. Hallenbeck didn't find a way to take a SLAB apart without much damage and then insert the SlabFree chip inside it and glue it back together."

ICG's tamper-proof technology would certainly prevent that, wouldn't it?

"2. If Mr. Hallenbeck is one of the people that ICG is using as their authenticators thereby having some conflict of interest in slabbing, grading and selling chips."

I was under the impression that ICG didn't require grading employees to divest themselves of their collections. ....even if they do, give the collection to a relative to store for you. There's no way to enforce such an employment requirement, AND no way to guarantee objective
grading due to that.

"3. If ICG actually SLABBED this chip since it is in NO WAY a casino chip and cannot be graded or authenticated as such. ICG states that they will for a fee SLAB Casino Chips. THIS IS NOT A CASINO CHIP."

THANK YOU! While this company might claim to have experts grading and slabbing real casino chips, they've already slabbed Paulson fantasy chips to use as samples. It was brought up by Dean Porter today that you can't fully identify a brass core counterfeit chip if you can't see the edge of the chip, as you can't in a slab. When it takes a little time for REAL experts to identify counterfeit chips in the hobby now, authentication or certification or what ever the slabbers want to call their services are decades behind the hobby as it is now organized.

Ken left before I was through handling auction receivables and payouts (I'm usually one of the last people to leave a chapter meeting) so I didn't get to question him on the circumstances concerning the SlabFree slab, ditto on your 4th and 5th questions. "I had the sucker slabbed" could very well have been done gratis. I sure hope that doesn't make ANYBODY happy, nor should it change the perception of the intent of having it done!

"I would seriously doubt that ICG would have slabbed this chip for Mr. Hallenbeck as it would make ICG look pretty stupid in the eyes of others."

....I think they (ICG) made a serious, expensive, stupid mistake by trying to force their service onto this hobby without doing any real research on what the reaction would be by both the average and serious collector. Near as I can figure, they talked to a few coin dealers that also sell chips and came to some very wrong conclusions.

...I'd also be interested in whom you are implying is a liar in this thread. Is it ICG, Ken, or myself by posting this informaton? I've already stated that I didn't like doing so, but I felt it was important. ...still do.

Bob