I have a special Coleman cooler outfitted with dry-ice, and I make my rounds to any casino I hear about. Currrrently, I have 17 freezers in my basement storing my cooolection. Luckily, my generator has backed me up through the two blackouts we've had in the SF Bay Area. Haven't had much luck scanning the cubes though - they melt as soon as they hit the glass... Hardest to protect? The thin-layer types (rarely used anymore). AND YES, re-freezing is definitely wrong - the cube must be in "Casino - Machine - Fresh Condition"
Favorite? The dice-sized cubes with a hole in the middle... Mini-squares are fun too! Rarest? The cube from Bellagio with a fly in it! TRUE!!! If only I could find a way to have Steve Wynn sign it - the cube, not the fly!
When I'm really self-indulgent, I make a cocktail with ice from a particular casino, and then I get my collection of chips from that casino out. WOW, that is FUN!!!
I draw the line at ICE - I WILL NOT COLLECT DO NOT DISTURB SIGNS, OR SLOT CARDS - TOO OBVIOUS!
STAY COOL!