When it comes to what we'll call "inventory control" it's very important to know what you have and where it is. I think that's a common situation with many advanced chippers. I too have forgoten to remove a traded chip from my trade list. How embarasing when you're in the middle of a trade, and then have to go back and say..Gee, i thought I still had that chip, but i dont" I've also neglected to put a chip onto my collection list which has resulted in me picking up another one. So, even though the original question wasn't on iventory control, let me touch base on a few important details. Travis,I'm sorry I ended up doing this on your response instead of Andy's original question.

1. Make a spread sheet for both your collection and traders.
2. ALWAYS list the ID number for the chip (i.e, TCR or CG numbers)
3. Keep your traders as well as your collection in an organized fashion. Almost everyone uses chip pages in 3 ring binders.
4. Keep a seperate box or container for chips that have to be "processed". As we get both chips for our collection and traders we need to keep the seperate until we have a chance to add them to our inventory lists. This for me has helped a great deal!

This next point is also a very important one. IF you go out of your house to trade chips, whether to the convention, or a local chapter chip meeting, you must make sure that you mark down what chips are being traded! This for me was a hard lesson to learn. I had a few binders with chip pages that took to the trade sessions at the convention a few years ago. As a new chipper, i just didnt know any better. I traded like a maniac. Of course at that time, a lot of the trades were pity trades, but i digress. Anyway, when i returned home, i was forced to go through my trader book and visual check off each and every chip i had left, hence doing a complete inventory. VERY TIME CONSUMING! So, I learned...I make a little paper insert to go behind each individual chip. Written on the paper is the casino, denomination and chip number. nWhen the chip spot is empty, I have the paper to show mewhat i have to remove from the inventory. If I have more than one of the same chip in the binder, I still only do one paper. Believe me, if you start doing this as a new chipper you will have a much easier time of it.

Of course there's many different ways of doing things, I've just found that this system has worked like a dream for me.

Take a look at Will Knight's Chip Junkie webpage. He has an excellent section for beginners with some great advice. He also has a section to do easy webpages...which is perfect for you to list your traders on.

Travis's advice is excellent. Anytime you have a chipper telling you "don't do it like me", you should heed the warning. My mother once told me when I was young: "It's good to learn from your mistakes...but better to learn from someone else's mistakes"