Hi Rich,

As you know, I have a Web site, I do buy/sell/trade chips. I do not consider myself a Dealer even tough many would. I trade chips just as easy as sell them & just completed a trade with Steve Soden. I feel I am providing a service for chippers. I do NOT make a living doing this (I own a business here in Las Vegas which does that!) I do this to help support my chip collection & also because I enjoy it & get to meet people from around the World (at least over the Internet). I even filled an order from a gentleman in the Netherlands the other day. Any money I do make from my Web site after paying for the Web site itself & gas to get chips, packing & mailing (as you know I always pay postage) goes into my collection. I was only able to go to the Convention one day (Friday) but between the Convention floor & the Auction managed to spend $2,500 (my MAIN passion in chips are $5 obsolete Nevada). Over a years time I do not make that amount from selling chips. The point being that whatever I do make (and more) goes right back into chips. All that being said, I'll tell you how many chips I got at The Orleans & how it came about.

I knew I was not going to be able to get to the Convention on Thursday, but was planning on being there Friday & Saturday (I could not make it on Saturday as it turned out). On Wednesday night while at home I decided to call The Orleans to make sure the chips would be released by Thursday around noon as I would be driving by there & wanted to run in & pick them up. The woman I talked to on the phone said they were released & were going fast. Now I have heard that before & just figured it was the same old line & that just like the Aladdin there would be plenty. The more I thought about it & the fact that this was a new Casino for the Convention & all I decided to go that night instead of waiting until Thursday. I had asked the woman what the limit was for buying the chips & she said that it was $100 worth. That is what I get most of the time for any other LE if I can get that many. When I got to The Orleans at 9:00 P.M. Wednesday night & walking up to a deserted cage I asked for & got $100 (20 chips) worth of chips. As I was walking out the door I looked at the chip & to my surprise saw where it said 1,000. I thought at LEAST 3,000 would have been made. I decided to go back & get another $50 worth since I knew they would be going fast (the woman on the phone was right!). The reason I did this is so I would have a few extras for people who would not get them. Keep in mind that this is 30 chips total & after the 4 chips that I get for friends who are collectors here in town & the one I keep for myself, that only leaves 25 chips which in the scheme of things is not a lot. I could just have easily gone back & got another $100 instead of the $50, but I was not looking to corner the market, but to only get what people who order from my Web site would want. As it turns out Travis Anderson who lives here was out of town & I sold him a couple of chips for $7 each postage included. Not until Friday when I was talking to Dave Harber (Cheques in the Mail) did I know that there was a limit of 4 per person.

As for next year, why can't the club make a deal with The Orleans to buy the chips from the cage (all of them) & sell them at face value along with the regular no value chip? Any that are left over can either be sold back to the cage or sold to dealers. That way everyone who is at the Convention gets one! For those who are wondering I have the chip on my Web site at $8 each postage included. I'll knock that down to $7 postage included as long as your a CC&GTCC member & give me your number. A limit of one per person until they are gone. Andy - Las Vegas