I think there are only around 2,000 to 3,000 active members, but I'm sure somebody will provide an accurate figure. (There have been 7,000+ people join the club since it began, but many have left the hobby or passed away)

As far as the Hooters chips, one thing that I didn't like was the apparent manipulation in demand that was going on. When a chip is issued in such a high number but they're not all made available at once, it drives the price unnaturally high because everybody is foaming at the mouth to get one right away. Then, when more and more are released, the demand decreases to a normal level, the price drops, and the people who paid inflated prices for them get angry. Sometimes they focus their anger on chip collecting as a hobby and just quit altogether. So, you end up filling the pockets of a few insiders with inflated prices when the chip is first released and hurting the hobby in the long run.

As you mentioned, some collectors don't even collect limited editions. I think some collectors are like me, having changed their focus as time goes on. When I first collected, I was interested in any kind of chip from anywhere. Then, I narrowed my focus to Nevada, New Mexico (where I live) and California. Then I narrowed it further to eliminate limited editions, but buying all new house chips issued. Now, I've pretty much quit buying all new house chips too, concentrating on saving my chip funds for older, more expensive chips.

But, that's not to say I'll keep narrowing. A couple of years ago, I decided I no longer wanted to collect Hard Rock chips and sold all that I had. Now I've changed my mind and am working on building my Hard Rock collection again.