Hi, fellow chippers,
I have been collecting casino chips since 1997, when I was playing roulette at the old Bally's Grand in Atlantic City, N.J., I said to the then pit boss (Chuck Tomarchio, I didn't know who he was at the time) "hey this chip has numbers on it !". He nicely pointed out to me that this was a limited edition chip and that people collect chips, (why would someone not cash a chip in?) if I remember correctly he mentioned something about a chip collecting club, he was so nice to me that he left a good impression on me about collecting chips. Then on another trip to AC I went into Bob Mera's store that was on the boardwalk and found an application for the club and I have now been a member for ten years. My collecting interests are basically for chips that hold memories for me and places that I have personally been to with my deceased sister, and believe me we went to a lot of casinos when gas was $1 a gallon. I have met a lot of great people in the club in Vegas, Laughlin, and Atlantic City, some of whom are now deceased. What makes this hobby great is the people, there are always some bad apples, but for the the majority of the club members I have met they are selfless people who will help you with chip collecting as best they can. I do think that there is a conflict of interest with some people who write price guides and also sell casino chips, they are basically price fixing the cost of the higher end casino chips, though I think that The Chip Rack is a excellent unbiased publication.
I have chosen not to put my last name here because my last name is very uncommon and I don't want to lead burglars to my house, with a google search I can be easily found, I'm not paranoid, but you will have to excuse me as I live in New York City -:)
