I agree. The collectors set the value based on what they will pay. Fortunately, there are thousands upon thousands of other great chips floating around that don't command such a high initial valuation.

On the other hand, I hope that the casinos don't begin to regularly release these low issues. In the long run it will turn off many collectors as they cannot ever obtain the them without paying a hefty price.

Supply and demand will always dictate the value of anything.