Last night I started to write on that track but when I re-read the subject line I erased it and started over .

I was going to say that I do not completely agree with Larry in that. "But if you look at it strictly from a profit motive, if a casino makes 1000 of a chip, they might sell out. If they make 2500 of the exact same chip, they might only sell 500. The 2500 issue doesn't generate any excitement...But the 1000 chip issues sell out. I rush to get one, maybe several in speculation." As has been posted here by a few of the people who handle the ordering of LEs, many of these people struggle to find the right balance. I think there are a lot of factors that interweave to make it very difficult. Take factors of Mass Appeal or Artistic and Graphic quality. Or there may be a casino that puts out 8 or 10 editions during a year. Or, a casino who only puts out one or two. These chips have instant appeal since people who collect these casinos don't get that many and might buy some from every edition they come out with. Compare that to a casino that puts out 20 editions a year and people like myself start to question or ponder whether we want that chip because we can't get them all. We then become selective. I then start to judge more personal factors of whether I really like the chip rather than if it will fill out a set. A casino than would have to take these other factors into consideration so that they don't get stuck with extras. If an edition is not significantly unique or of Mass Appeal, or Artistically exciting they may have to limit the edition further. If they are Hugely popular and can be espected to generate a frenzy they might produce more of them. Hard Rock, Playboy Bunny Money may be an example. Hugely popular property, Hugely popular magazine and cultural logo. I believe they may have produced 5000 $5 chips. Is that correct? I think that is what I heard. Anyways, 5000 is hardly very limited in LE standards for $5 chips.

Finally there is also the factor of carrying the value of the chips on the casinos books. A casino who produces these chips has to carry a cash balance on their books to cover the redemption of chips that may be presented. If a casino issues a redemption notice and destroys chips they will then be able to replace those chips. The point is there is a balance between cash and chips in the casinos accounting system. Some casinos my find themselves keeping this balance by producing more editions of more limited quantities where another casino may choose to produce fewer editions of larger quantities.

Of course there are some of the suspicions that exist that some casinos may be producing chips at deliberately low quantities to produce instant rarity. That, I believe, is where it does not make sense since the casino does not benefit from the secondary market. They do, I am sure, want to promote collecting as it is a convenient way to get their messages and image out to a receptive market. They want to keep that line of communication and commerce open.