You state that "items have prices that should be protected" I don't agree. This may be what dealers would like but not the average collector wants. I regularly purchase common chips at below TCR prices, it's the old "whatever the market will bear" high or low. I don't get into high end chips (don't have deep pockets) on that level I would think prices are more stable. I would also think that when you see a price offered and then reduced these are sometimes chips out of someone's trader or dups stock pile and they can be sold at low prices without a loss. Either way if the buyer and seller are satisfied, no harm done. HMO