> I am not really a chip collector

Glad to hear it!

> but I do have some very old chips that I
> bought at an estate auction They are 40 to
> 50 years old.

How lovely.

> I do collect cards

So do I. I have more than you do. Don't even bother trying to debate that.

> and I am glad to see Becket is going to
> start grading chips.

No you're not. You're lying, or mistaken. Beckett is not going to start grading chips. A search of the web via Google for "Beckett graded casino chips" turns up no relevant hits, not even on Dr. Jim Beckett's site itself.

> This is great for the hobby.

Sure, if you define "great" as "potentially destroying." .

> It will bring a true value to these chips
> that everybody says is so valuable.

Here's a fatal flaw you're making: value is in the eye of the beholder. Casino chips are bought as collectibles by - surprise! - casino chip collectors. And there are a fair number of serious collectors on this board who have pledged not to buy any slabbed chip at any price, including myself.

> Maybe some of these people will not follow
> the crusading of someone by the name of Gene
> trimble and others.

Instead, should we follow your own crusading? Don't pin your hopes on it, or you'll be crushed by the disappointment.

WMD