Robert,
>>(1) I think it is very important for the national to get dues from chapter members, and I am the sure the Board of the national will come up with a reasonable way to do this, perhaps a way that would make the life of your chapter easier. Perhaps the national could collect the dues for the chapter and national together and remit chapter dues to the chapter.<<

The CCGTCC is already getting dues from chapter members! Propose an amendment, hope that it passes, then leave it up to the people that it effects to deal with as far as enacting it is short-sighted, and grossly unfair to those people. Remember, we club officers at both levels are volunteers.

>>(2) Even if some of your members collect "merely" local gambling chips and tokens, the national does them a lot of good, I would hope and suspect. For example, if the national encourages growth of the hobby in general, that increases the value of all our collections. With national prestige, clout and publicity, neighbors of yours might join the national, never having heard of your local group, but then joining it after looking through the membership rosters and national club magazine articles. Off hand, another way the national can help even small groups is by working on the Hobby Protection Act to thwart reproductions. Maybe a little group of collectors will expand their horizons reading the same magazine, or attract those from other parts of the country with similar interests. So there is much value in the national for all gambling chip collectors.<<

Everything you list is already happening without anyone imposing additional membership requirements at the chapter level. The people in our chapter that don't belong to the CCGTCC don't collect for the benefits you've listed. They collect because they want to, and they want to spend time with their friends once a month by being members of our chapter.

>>(3) No one is out for blood. I would hope all of us are sympathetic. If some collectors were old an/or poor, no one would be bothered by your chapter rendering them special treatment, like both chapter and national not collecting dues from them. Bylaws could be changed or, better yet, a "don't ask, don't tell" policy is fine. This is a small matter. Don't let the tail wag the dog.<<

You just tossed the amendment out of the window. ....and your suggestions go back to letting the chapters deal with how they handle their own memberships. That's what started this whole mess in the first place. You say every chapter member must be a CCGTCC member, then you tell me that we should make exceptions to YOUR rules?!? Sheesh!

>>(4) Others have commented on the ANA thing, so I needn't beat it to death. We are not coin collectors, have nothing to do with it, don't advertise ourselves as being connected to the ANA, were not created by the ANA to follow ANA principles, etc. We don't call the national (CCGTCC) a chapter of the ANA.<<

It is common for members of the CCGTCC, when addressing a person, forum or organization that is not familiar with the club to mention that the CCGTCC is the largest member club of the ANA. Your statement makes it appear that we have no reason for being a member club. Is that your position?

Bob