Since I was introduced to collecting by Tyrus Mulkey about a year and half ago, I had the benefit of being introduced to the club and the resources available to identify real and not so real chips.

Without the club, good looking chips using the NEVADA mold would have been purchased as real for sums far in excess of what they are actually worth.

Since no one comes to a hobby with a built in knowledge base about what's out there, and no one actually agrees on all aspects of a hobby (see the thread on slabbing earlier today), the resources avaialble through the club are an invaluable learning tool for new members of the hobby. Even knowing such a club exists gives peoeple a method to commence the research required to become somewhat knowledgeable aboiut the junk and the pearls out there.

While the Club may not think its job is to help protect newer members or members of the public, its very existence is a resource to be used to avoid fakes, frauds and junk.

Frankly, and without taking a position on anyone's ability to generate a living, this is one of the reasoins why I joined the CLub in the first Place.