First off, let me introduce myself for those of you who don't know me. My name is Dan Cooley and from what I have seen on these boards I am one of the youngest people collecting poker chips at the age of 26. I just got married at the end of October 2010 and have very little money to put into the hobby but I love it. Now onto my story.

I guess you could say that my journey to start collecting poker chips started a long time ago but I never guessed it would turn into this. Every year when I was young my family and I would take a 3 week road trip out west and on most of our trips at some point or another we would end up in Las Vegas for a few days. During these times of being a young kid in "SIn City" my mind was just spinning and I couldn't believe all of the things I was seeing. The big thing that I still remember to this day are all of the lights and fancy hotels, each with a different theme. Fast forward to my mid teens and my fasination for Las Vegas only grew at an uncontrolable rate. It seemed like every day I was trying to learn more about that city and I just couldn't wait until I was old enough to go there by myself and explore the city that I have been dreaming about since I was a young kid. Fast forward again to when I was 21. For my 21st birthday my parents gave me the one present that I had hoped for more than anything else, they were taking me to Las Vegas!!! About 1 month after turning 21, it was finally time for our trip. This trip totally proved to me that all of my dreams of this city were complety true. I wish I would have known about poker chips on this trip but I still had no idea. During my next two trips to Sin City I decided that it might be fun to pick up a $1 poker chip from all of the casinos that I visited as a souvenir not even knowing they were collectable. After I got home I started looking more into the chips and thought they were really cool. I did a little looking online and never would have imagined how many different poker chips had been made over the years. I knew at this point I needed to start collecting more poker chips and make it my hobby. After doing some more searching I eventually found the CC>CC and the chip board and I knew that I had found the resources that would help me learn the hobby. Once I joined the CC>CC I started talking with a few people and even had a few send me some free chips to help me get started in the hobby. I couldn't believe how nice everyone was and how willing they were to help someone who is brand new to the hobby. I want to thank everyone who has helped me in the past and who will help me in the future.

I really love this hobby but it can be hard to afford for a young collector. I don't have nearly te collection that I would like to have due to the fact that I don't have the disposable money to spend on it. I also only have a very small amount of "traders" and the problem is that nobody else needs them. I believe the main reason their aren't younger people collecting poker chips is because of the following reasons:

1. The amount of money that it takes to build a collection- This is my main problem and it really sucks not being able to get new chips when that is all you can think about.

2. The lack of younger people that know about the hobby - Before I decided to just start picking up $1 chips I never knew that the casinos had special chips and changed them out from time to time. What about the idea of someone creating a Facebook page for the CC>CC and hoping younger people find it? What about posting an add on Craigslist promoting the club or just poker chip information?

3. Disposable income - again this is a lot like #1 but most younger people don't have the disposable income to put into a hobby

In conclusion I have really come to love this hobby in a very short time. The people around here are amazing and the most helpfull bunch I have ever met. I want to thank the couple people who helped me with advice, sold me chips, and sent me free chips when I first joined. The main problem that I see is just the cost of the hobby and I am talking about this through expierience and knowing that I can't buy chips even though I want them so bad. If you made it all the way to the end of this, thanks for reading my story and point of view. Dan Cooley R-8220 Collecting since September 2010