Mark,

You're not a fool, just learning like the rest of us. There are some real experts on this board who can explain this a lot better than I can, but I'll give it a shot.

James' book is about 4 years old, and until a new one comes out (soon, I'm guessing), some of the data might be out-datated. So, an R-8 might be an R-6 in some cases.

Many on this board could tell you stories about chips that were once thought to be scarce and sold for big numbers, and then a cache was found and the value plummeted. One example would be the Horseshoe $5 (3rd issue) mustard arodie. I've heard it onced fetched $150+, but now it's so common that you can pick one up for less than $15 in most cases.

Chippers are discovering chips all the time, and the data can only be updated so often. Best advice would be to pick up the latest Chip Rack (10th) and then buy the newest edition of James' book when it comes out. This board is also a great source for up-to-date information.

Good luck!

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