Well, having been in a few RR's and having run a few, I can go over the system for any new folks who are curious. First, A very generous, hard-working individual who has extra chips for trading decides to do a RR. He (or she) usually drops a chip on the floor one day, and when reaching for it, cracks his (or her) head on the tabletop. While taking medication to ease the pain, he thinks running a RR would not be so hard...

OK, first the person announces the Round Robin someplace (usually here on the ChipBoard) and waits for people to express an interest. These folks will post their request on the Board, or they will e-mail the RR originator, who will collect enough names for his project. Back in December I asked for 19 names and ended up with 38, and more I had to cut off and leave out. I used the 38 names to make up two Round Robins. Each RR had a list of 19 people, with my name as number 20. I then put together the packages. Each was a 30 chip pocket with thirty different $1 casino chips. (The RR's I did were dollar chip selections -- other RR's run through here in the past have been $5 chip versions, and "fractional" [chips of 50c or 25c, i.e., fractions of a dollar] type RR's) The packet also included a list of rules for participation in the RR, a sheet of address labels for each person, and a smidge of padding. Some RR's have only 20 chips, some have only 10 people on the list. These matter are determined by whoever makes up the rules.

Once the package goes into the mail, it is up to the people on the list. Each person gets the envelope, examines the chips, and takes out any chips he wants to add to his collection. But to do so, he must replace each chip he takes with a trader of his own, in the proper denomination. Courtesy demands that you put in only chips that are in good shape and that you feel someone down the list might like to have. Never put duplicates of what is already in the assortment, and try to place the material in the mail to the next person with all speed. All of the people after you are waiting for the chips (especially the founder) and you don't want to make them wait more than neccesary.

The cost of the RR is greatest for the person who starts it. He pays for the page, invests 30 chips in the trust of the people on his list, and places his time and effort in the package. The founder also waits the longest to see the package. Each person then pays $3.20 postage on a Priority Mail envelope at the Post Office to send it on. Most RR's also ask the the participants put a note on the ChipBoard to let later names on the list know where the package is on the list.

I hope this answers the questions some of you had about the Round Robins. For new collectors who are open to seeing and getting new chips, this is a fun method.