Morning Jim, that raises the exact point I tried to make. Matches, fingetr wipes, paper napkins and the like are given to you at many locations including bars and casinos.Hotels put out note pads. Etc. Etc.

My personal problem comes in determining the dividing line and it is a very gray area. As Archie stated in a post in this thread a chip or an ashtray is minor compared to ivory tusks or ancient items removed from their native location.

Just thought the club at large might make such a determination and set the standards. Again from Archies post I am not casting any stones as I collect them from every foreign country we visit and many of them from places I know it to be illegal.

Guess it will remain up to each individual to raise their own standard bar and that will vary by their own personal collecting preference.

From one eamil -"The difference between a smart person and a wise person is that the smart person knows what to say and a wise person knows whether to say it or not". I am not the wise person

Wishing all enough,
Dick Staeffler R-3828