Today a friend of my wife stopped over to visit. It didn't take long for me to bring to her attention my new and exciting hobby....casino chip collecting. I proudly displayed my humble collection of aprox. 400 casino chips.

I had just begun to explain to her the beauty and history of collecting casino chips, both old and new.

Several minutes into my 'show and tell' she blurts out " I'm so sorry Bob and I threw out all those old chips Bob's grandfather had lying around".

Ah, what chips would those be, exactly?

"Oh Bob's grandfather was a Vegas nut back in the 50's and 60's", she continues. " He used to save every momento from Vegas to remind him of the good times he had gambling there over the years. You know, dumb stuff like ash trays and match books, and of course lot's of chips".

" We filled up bags of that junk when he died" she say's, " of course they were old chips and such, you know, from old casino's and hotels that aren't even around any more, so they couldn't even be used anymore even if we did ever decide to go to Vegas, which neither of us has any desire to do anyway".

The deeper I probed her story, the more depressed I became. She ended by adding that if she knew I had an interest in casino chips she certainly would have given the whole bunch of 'em
to me, you know, "Just to get them out of the basement".

Yes it's sad to see a grown man weep.