I recall being in line for the release. As there were only 150 sets made and there had been much ado about this set, people started lining up in the middle of the night. I got there at about 5 A.M for the (I think it was 10 A.M release) to find that I was 11th in line. Jerry Birl had arrived at 2 A.M.
The following day, the sets were selling for over $400 on ebay.

At least then, we still saw some new chips, mostly as a result of Todd Moyer at the Marina who supported the hobby not only be issuing new chips but by supplying us free meeting space and other perks including a discount for our annual buffet.