I am also interested in the answer to your question. I have never been to The Hard Rock but have always wanted to go there. I think I will try to go this year and play some Blackjack for a few chips.

From my experience, other than at Fitzgeralds, I have noticed that while many chips will get dirty and worn they don't really get that damaged. I would still consider many table played chips to be fairly desirable. Especially if they are designs that I like. While playing at The Orleans I have picked up almost all of the Poker Tournement chips. While they do get dirty and the edges are fairly rounded they do still look OK and don't really exhibit much surface wear to the designs. I usually take them back to my room and soap up my hands. I then take the chips and rubb them a little in my palms and with my fingers and rinse them off. I don't work too hard to remove all the dirt, say from the engravings etc. Just the loose dirt from the surface. They come out pretty nice and as I said. I am proud to include them into my collection. I have also run into LE or other commemorative chips at Luxor, RIO, Aladdin and Golden Nugget. One of the RIO chips was a 1995 New Years chip which I won in 2000.

Anyways, with the cost that some Pristine Hard Rock chips are going for getting them from the tables might have to be my opportunity. To blend this with some other threads, I am not really that Pi**ed at Hard Rock for their recent release. Besides, I am not a big Sammy Hagar Fan. I don't dislike him but I just wasn't a big fanatic about him either. Therefore I can take or leave this release. My point is that I have always looked creatively at the dissappointments in this hobby. Sometimes I just wait till I get to LV and pick up what I can. Other times I pass on eBay auctions and just keep looking for an opportunity like the $10 Tyson Holyfield II MGM chip that I got for $9.99. Now I may just have to settle for some table played HR chips to expand my collection toward the HR. I have a few of their chips that I was able to get from my friendly NIS dealers, but I don't have many since I often can't afford them. They are very collectable and often expensive. There have been some that I would like in my collection but haven't been able to get. I probably still won't get any of those but I might find some that I would like to have. To close, I buy what I like and what I can get. I don't get too upset over individual unattainable chips. Thats life. I don't feel I have to have everything. To me it is the fun of collecting, playing, winning and the hunt. Then there is the enjoyment of looking at what I am actually able to get. To me, condition isn't everything.