Trust can only go so far. At some point in time, each bobby reaches a point with the number of people involved and the cost of the goods reaches a point that the temptation to make large sums of money is such that it almost invites decpetion of one sort or another.

For the average collector, 3rd party services will never be a serious threat because the price of the items that they collect is such that there is very little profit motive to decive. That is why people counterfit $20 and $100 dollar bills rather than $1.00 bills. It cost no more for the higher denomination bills then the lower, but the profit that one cane make is far greater.

Thus, with a limited number of higher end chips and a growing number of collectors chasing after them, prices can only rise in the long term.

If you are going to purchase a $1.00 chip for $3.00 to $5.00, it does not make sense for 3rd party services. A chip in the $30 - $50 range is iffy at best, but a chip in the $300 - $500 or more range is almost a must.

Some people will agrue that these services do not add value to the item in question, but you would not drive a vehcile with out insurance, nor leave your home with out locking the doors.

There are a large number of people in the numismatic realm who ONLY know 3rd party service items and will not comit serious money on any item if it is not from one of the major firms (yes, there are some services who are not quite up to the mark).

There is presently a law suit being brought by the club against one (or more) of the people who are know to be 'chip doctors', but the details have been kept very hush hush. The reason given is that the club is trying to work out an agreement outside of the court system. But another thought is that some of the better known collectors in the bobby have employed there services for items in there collections. Perhpas they are trying to keep the names of these people out of the public to protect them.

The only constant is change. If you took a person from Las Vegas from 1950 into a casino today, they would not recognize them.

At one time, table games outnumbered slot machines, slot machines took silver dollars are there were no such things as silver strikes.

Today, slot machines out number table games, silver dollars can only be found at coin shows, and sivler strikes are well established in the hbboy. Someday in the future, 3rd party services will be an intergal part of our hobby as it is in coin, paper, and stamps.

John