Very nice post Mark. It must have taken you close to an hour or more to compose it. Maybe, just maybe, if you would devote as much time (one hour) to promoting the hobby ... rather than promoting your Sahara Coins business ... and now the slabbing of chips .... perhaps you will generate the sympathy and understanding that you are seeking from chip collectors.

You stated in your post, "I have been handling chips for about eight years. In this time I have acquired over 30,000 chips. Some are rare some are hard to find and some are common. Over the 22 years that I have been in the rare coin and bullion biz I have sold approximately $77,000,000.00 in coins and bullion."

How about this as a positive for you to consider? With all of your merchandising and sales expertise and extensive contacts with coin collectors who are now seeking out information about chips .... it would seem to me that you are in a perfect position to recruit new members into the club. How many club applications have you distributed to potential new club members who are your customers? How many new club members have you signed up since the convention? You stated that you have aquired and have handled 30,000 chips over an eight year period. May I ask why you did not find it worthy to become a CC & GTCC member during those eight years until your firm convinced a slabbing company to venture into the chip hobby? Why is it that the only reason you applied for club membership was in order to qualify for table space at this year's convention in Las Vegas .... (where your business is located) ..... and where ALL of the club's prior conventions have been held, right in your home town. Was the year 2001 the first year that you ever heard of CC & GTCC ... or were you above it all before then with your $77,000,000.00 in coins and bullion sales?

Do you currently have club applications in your Sahara Coins store for distribution? I mean, prior to this post?

You see Mark, many of us have this perception that all you slabbers are about is making money and giving nothing back in return. What have you contributed to THE HOBBY? Have you made any redeeming educational posts on this bulletin board or anywhere else regarding spreading information about chips or hobby-related topics. All I can recall from any of the topics you have posted is about how much money you have made. In my opinion, and I'm sure in the opinion of many others .... that's not what chippin' is all about. Are there members of CC & GTCC who make money selling chips? Sure there are .... I'm one of them .... but many of them contribute to the hobby in other ways.

What have YOU contributed?

$77 MILLION DOLLARS IN SALES indeed! Why is it I'm not impressed?