I entered into chip collecting through the back door, so to speak, through eBay. Realizing one day that the small stack of chips I had lying in the desk drawer from earlier Vegas runs had some value, other than what was on the face, I listed them on eBay and realized a nice profit. This prompted me to make a trip out to Vegas to gather more chips with the intention of selling them for profit. When I returned home with pockets full, I began to appreciate them for their beauty and history. I quickly started to collect, as well as sell. Buying more than I was selling became the norm, and keeping most of my chips turned me into a collector.

Many new collectors enter the hobby in the same way. Ebay has changed the world for many people in many ways, especially when it comes to hobbies. Many are introduced to collecting items they never dreamed of collecting as they surf the millions of eBay pages.

As more and more people get turned onto chip collecting in this way, the hobby is bound to change. Those who become collectors will also be entrepeneurs looking to support their collecting habits by selling for the highest profit possible, thus causing prices and values to rise as the chips become harder to obtain due to availability and demand.

For me it is first a hobby, but without the opportunity to sell chips at a profit it would be a hobby that I would not be able to support.