There was a post earlier in the day from a poker chip dealer about a "Major New Chip Discovery". The post simply said: "Has anyone seen these before? I would like to know what casino they are from." And had a picture of the chips. I took exception to the post because the dealer who posted them had them made to order and was selling them on his web site. He did not disclose that he had them made up, that they were "fantasy" chips and that he was selling him. When confronted, the dealer claimed that it was a joke.

Supporters of this dealer claimed that he is a nice guy and that he didn't mean to fool anyone. Well, I again take exception. The chips are good enough to require an experienced chip collector to take a second look at them to see that they are fantasy chips. They are new, and have a discontinued "H" mold, so most likely they are fake. But you never know. So you look at the casino and then realize that there never was a Key West Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. OK, they are phony. But it took a second look by someone who has collected for a while.

I am sure that there are going to be new collectors who are not going to realize that these are phonies when they buy the chip. But they won't be hurt to bad because they won't be that expensive. So big deal. But wait a second. Do you know how many chip collectors they are who are just casual collectors or poker players who are looking for a set of real casino chips to use for their home set? People who don't visit the Chipboard or Las Vegas or belong to the CCGTCC. They will be fooled into thinking they are getting something that isn't. We, as an organized hobby, should be trying to attract the casual collector and bring them into the hobby. Not chasing them away by misleading them into buying phony casino chips.

Charles T. Rogers, a member of the CCGTCC Hall of Fame, said in his post on the subject: "It's items like this that run collectors out of the hobby." I know that you experienced chip collectors will not be fooled by these chips. But you need to think beyond yourself and what is good for the hobby. If the chip dealer had said in his post: "Here are some fantasy chips I just had made up.", then I never would have said anything. My experience has been, through 1,000's of chip transactions, that chip collectors are incredibly honest and moral. They are just a few who are only interested in themselves or in making money. I think that we need to take exception when we see someone who is not being honest or moral. That is my opinion and I know others will have a different point of view.