Brian, when speaking of collecting etiquette, I just want to say, I agree that with somebody buying 90% os so of a LE is very strange. I vieuw of it being NEW material. Like I have said before, I am collecting since 1972 (on my own...) till in 1999 I found this wonderfull club and lots of GREAT people. But before I found them, when I found jetons or plaques if there where 1 or 2 of course I would buy them, as most of the material I hunt and look for is OBSOLETE and not in play anymore for many, some times decades, years. When in the time I was just collecting on my own, some times I did not buy a find as the seller, most antique dealers or just on flea markets do NOT want to sell just 1 or 2 pieces. They said, buy the whole lot, what of course drove up the price in vieuw of the amount of pieces. And WHAT could I do with 10 some times 100 of the same piece ? But after becoming a member of CCGTCC and got to know that other collectors, who had no acces to this material but still loved and liked it, also wanted to have a set, I now buy whatever I can find. I can tell you it is not easy to find this material, same as you guys hunt for old American material. Unlike LE you just buy at the cage.
When I told somebody at the convention that I have a set of 3 plaques that I sold at the convention last year for $50, I actually paid $48 for it. That I took a $2 margin to cover the differance in currancy, he told me I was crazy and should ask a little bit more. So you can imagen my face when a dealer asked me how much I could take of ,if he bought some material ? I said that I can take the dust of...
But to come back to your question, when you buy lets say 400 brand new LE of $5 and then sell them for a high price due to the fact they are hard to get (normal, as you have the bulk) yes this is hoarding.
On the other hand most, if not all, the new issue dealers provide a superbe service to us collectors wwho are not in the possiblity to get the chips we so desperately want. I for one have no problem paying for this service, as most of do. I admire those people who are at the cage waiting for the LE release and then get them of as soon as possible to their costumers. So they make a few $$ so what, I garantee you, you will never become a millionaire by doing this.
That is why I find that the FQ have to change their policy, like that the NIS can keep on doing what the love and what we need.
Now when you buy in a casino close to you LE's and then sell them on to collectors who are not able to go and get themself and ask a bit more, yes please do so. But if you buy the bulk of the chips to make them more difficult to get and then ask a high price , you can expect to get some comments and remarks.
This is just my feeling on the issue of hoarding.
Hope I did offend anybody, hope to see you in a couple of days.
Kind regards,
Bob R-4479 Belgium