I was 21 years old when I got married in 1968. For our honeymoon, my wife and I went to Puerto Rico. We splurged for the "upscale" Dorado Beach Hotel - about 20 miles outside of San Juan. It was the first time this native New Yorker had ever been on a plane, let alone any further west than Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey or further south than Washington DC where I went on a class trip in the 5th grade.

There was a small casino at Dorado Beach. I had never gambled in a casino, though I did enjoy occasional gambling at a fraternity poker game or playing the horses at Yonkers Raceway.

At the Dorado Beach Hotel we were two young, unsophisticated and inexperienced kids when we entered that casino and sat down at a Blackjack Table for the very first time. I knew the game, but had no real life experience with it. Making that night even more exciting was that sitting at the table next to me (you old-timers will know him) was Henry Morgan of "What's My Line" fame. I don't remember how I made out at the casino that week, but for a souvenir, I held onto a chip or two - paying little attention to their condition.

Unknowingly, I guess that was my start as a collector. Incidentally, and purely by coincidence, on another different vacation at Dorado Beach, my star-struck wife and I gambled shoulder-to-shoulder with Susan Lucci for a whole week - yelling “’All My Family’ needs a new pair of shoes!” while rolling the dice at the Craps table; and my wife holding hands with her and jumping up and down when their “Yo Eleven” come-out bet hit). We’ve also gambled with Bryant Gumbel in Puerto Rico and Sidney Poitier in the Bahamas.

About 35 years ago I was in California for two, 2-week stretches for company training. During the weekends in between, I flew to Las Vegas and Reno/Tahoe and all I basically did was try to go to as many casinos as I could and sit down for a few hands of Blackjack in order to pick up additional "souvenir chips". After those two weekends, my chip count quadrupled! Over the years, my wife and I have been very fortunate to have taken numerous vacations and traveled extensively all over the world. I always try to pick up additional souvenir chips wherever we go.

I put all those "souvenir chips" in a large, clear bowl in our living room.

I have 5 grandchildren. I can buy those kids the most expensive toys, but when they come to my house, all they want to play with are the chips in that large bowl. About 3 years ago, the kids were playing with the chips, looking at them and throwing them all around - a few land in my son-in-law's lap. Really looking at them for the first time, my son-in-law says "I wonder if these are worth anything" and proceeded to log onto his laptop and Google search "Casino Chips".

That's when I discovered about all you guys (and gals) and this whole world of casino chip collecting. Now, I've got to say, at first, all I'm thinking about is how much my collection is worth and what can I get for them - I join CC>CC, I even go to a local AC Chapter meeting. I start selling a few of my more valuable chips. But after a little while, I find it harder and harder to part with my chips (which are now all organized and cataloged and to my grandchildren's displeasure, taken out of that large bowl in my living room!). I even started to buy a few chips here and there. I guess by now I really am a collector.

I am retired now and I have many varied interests - just not enough time to pursue them all to the extent I'd like. Although I have a very modest collection of only about 600 chips, chip collecting is certainly among my favorite pastimes. And although I'm not a vocal. frequent poster, hardly a day goes by that I do not check the chipboard at least once! So, even though I'm not that well known to you all, you frequent posters are known to me. I am always lurking in the background and derive a lot of pleasure being associated with this hobby and the people that are a part of it.