Hey Greg,

Thanks for your post. A few points:

I didn't think this guy was the "big investor, solely in it for the money" type. As passionate as I am about chips, he was about coins. I thought he was just being careful. In fact, he made it a point to say that there were only two grading services that he trusted, and that he would only purchase coins that were graded by either of these two companies.

Fear of big money coming into the hobby, is, in my opinion, short-sighted. Why someone comes into a hobby in the first place is their own business. If they think they can try to collect just to make a buck......good luck to them. My point is that I, personally, set a limit as to what I would spend on a single chip out of fear that the present way business is done is not favorable to me as a purchaser. I know I am not the "big-investor" type, lol......more of the "new-blood lusting for one of them there old Sands" type! Bottom line-I can't pull the trigger on bigger purchases, as much as I want to, out of fear that I can get screwed.

I think it is curious that I have seen debates rage here over what "rare" and "scarce" mean. If we were all nobly collecting solely for love of the chip, than why the big argument over why a chip should be classified R-5 or R-9. It makes a difference, and I don't think we should pretend that it doesn't.

Also, I know coin grading is number based. At the least, I think our current grading system needs tinkering. There are definitely degrees between Average and Slightly Used that should be addressed. Some chips are simply better than average, but not good enough for slightly used.

Finally, why can't we short-circuit the domino effect you outlined, by, as a group, coming up with our own "grading" service? We have the experts! We are small enough that, if were done properly, it could be set up to become instantly recognizable by all current collectors. This way we decide how it is done. I think that we should really be thinking about these issues, while we still, as a group, can collectively control the way this all washes out. We don't need to certify the "rarity" of a chip.....just the condition and genuineness.

I do know that the system, as it is presently constituted, cannot last forever.