Hello!

My name is Michael Keljo and I am a student at the University of Pennsylvania. I am currently enrolled in an Anthropology seminar, ANTH 120, (see below for full course description and credentials if you want more details, though really they aren't that important).

I stumbled onto this hobby as I looked for topics to do a research project/paper on, and I found it so interesting that I made it my topic. The best source of information for this project comes from personal interviews, where collectors like you answer my few questions based on their own experiences/opinions!

What follows is a series of questions that are most relevant to my project, and any answers you can give me would be VERY HELPFUL. If you are indeed kind enough to answer this survey, you can either e-mail me your responses or post them here, whichever is most convenient for you. Thank you so much for your time!

Here are the questions:

1. What roll does history play in your collecting?

2. How would you determine the historical value of a chip? How much is it
based on its relationship with famous historical figures/events?

3. Do you have any chips that mean so much to you that you will not part
with them? If so, why do they mean so much to you?

4. On the other hand, do you have chips that do not mean as much to you so
that you would be willing to part with them if "the price was right"? Why do
they mean less to you?

5. Do you have specific people that you trade/work with in building your
collection based on trust and reputation? If so, can you describe why that trust is there and/or why the trust is necessary to the relationship?

6. Do you find social value in the hobby? Do you enjoy seeing and
interacting with other collectors as much as collecting itself?

Thank you so much for taking the time to fill this out. I really appreciate it! Good luck to you in all of your collecting endeavors!
Sincerely,

Michael Keljo

Here is the official course information (for REALLY curious people):

Money in Society and Culture (ANTH-120)
Across history and across cultures, money has profoundly shaped the social world. In its myriad forms and functions, money finds expression as object and idea, as complex technological system and potent psychological symbol. In this course we will consider the meanings that social scientists, cultural critics and popular movements have invested in the objects and practices that surround the use of money in human culture. Topics to be covered include: ideas about the origins and functions of money; the role of money in ancient and contemporary global trading regimes and political formations; diverse and multiple regimes of exchange and money use in different cultures; the impact of money on notions of value, time, social life, and moral order; ritual, magical and symbolic uses of money; and alternate money forms such as community-based currencies and digital/cyber cash. While focusing on objects and relationships associated with economic life, the course will serve as an introduction to basic concepts anthropologists use to think about society, culture and politics. Readings, classroom discussion, and guided research projects will provide a basis for a series of short writing assignments. (Distribution I: Society)

Contact Information
Instructor: Prof. Jay Dautcher
Email: dautcher@sas.upenn.edu
Class Time: Monday 2:00-5:00
Class Place: 419 University Museum
Office Hours: Tu 1-3, Th 1:30-3:00
Office location: 418 University Museum