Dick, Archie and John have both given you some ideas. I'll throw my two cents in for what they're worth.

If you're buying a collection of any kind that includes duplicates or chips you don't want for your own collection, it seems to me that you have two main things to think about: how will I dispose of them (are they valuable as traders to obtain chips I do want for my collection, or will I have to try to sell them?), and how long will the process take?

If you're purchasing chips you don't want or need for your own collection, you're making an investment of sorts. The return can be chips you need, or it can be a profit realized on the sale of the chips. Either way, you have to decide what the chips are worth to YOU under the circumstances.

I did watch a dealer at a show once, offered a boxfull of Atlantic City chips when early AC chips were selling for premium prices, tell the seller (who was not a chip collector), "Well, I can't give you face value because these are obsolete and you can't cash them in any more."

Some chips can be purchased for less than face value, but it depends a great deal on who you're buying from, how far you're willing to go in what you say, and which chips they are.

Hope I've helped.

Michael