Dave,

Of course every person has to decide for themselves if being a member of the is worth it for them, but here's why I renew each year.

Before I started collecting chips, I went through stages where I became obsessed with and then collected several different things.

Tube radios, pinup items, fruitcrate labels, Hot Wheels cars, you name it and at one time I was fixated on it. Normally my fascination would last until I actually possessed a few of each item, and then it would wane and I would be on to something else.

I can't really remember how I stumbled upon casino chips, but I DO know why I haven't strayed from collecting them in four years.

It's the people.

All the other stuff I collected before was just "stuff". But being in this hobby has been a completely different experience.

From the first trade that I completed, I knew this hobby was different. Jill Bitner was my first trading partner, and she demonstrated what makes the people in this hobby different. I can't even remember what I had to trade, but I'm sure it was something she didn't really need. But, she agreed to trade with me and when I received chips from her, I noticed there were a couple of duplicates in there. She explained that those were to help build my stock of trader chips so I could get started in the hobby.

Time and time again you will see similar generous acts repeated on this board and in those you deal directly with. Sometimes it's a contest, (like the one you poked fun at in your post) where a collector will offer a free chip or two to other members. The collector sponsoring the contest is giving something back to the hobby because he/she loves it, just like Jill was doing when she sent me those extra chips. Maybe people like that look like "chumps" to you, giving away something for nothing. If so, then you'll never understand.

But, as I began to see how people (for the most part) treated each other in this hobby, I wanted to belong. I wanted to make sure that everyone I dealt with knew that I was part of this hobby and would do my part to support its growth and the improvement. Sometimes that means kicking in a few bucks to support a special project, such as the Building Fund, or sending a free chip to a new collector. And, for me, it meant that I had no choice but to join the and to continue renewing my membership each year.

If all you care about is chips, and interacting with other collectors means nothing to you, then you're probably better off spending that $20 on whatever you collect. As I said, you have to decide for yourself. But for me, the return on the meager membership fees I pay each year is tremendous.