... further thoughts on this, James, either here or by email. In the meanwhile, I will respond to some of what you said in this post:

>> Well that is great. This is a form of banning me.

Not at all. Our pledge has nothing to do with banning you from the club, prohibiting participation in the convention or any other formal action. It just means each of us will make an individual decision whether or not to do business with you.

>> SO your anti slab club will make announcements about me or what?

If we become aware of any dealer participating in slabbing, we will make it public knowledge.

>> Will I be publicly whipped?

I know you mean that rhetorically, but promise that all whippings will be conducted in private.

>> Will poster be made too?

So far, just tee shirts, buttons and flyers, but posters are not a bad idea.

>> I actually find this to start looking like a joke. I know you guys are serious
>> but this is just going too far to say that your 400 people are now not to buy from
>> me if I bid on a chip or buy one that is slabbed.

Not a joke at all and yes, we are serious. You may think it's going too far, but I see it as perhaps the single most effective means of insuring that slabbing does not succeed in our hobby. Economic boycott is a classic means by which consumers can exert influence over a market which would otherwise function in what they consider an unsatisfactory manner. In fact, exercising our purchasing power is just about the only real leverage we have.

>> I know a club member who did buy one at the show from Sahara. She took it out of the slab.
>> I even think she is on your list against this. Is she now to be condemned?

No one is being condemned. And, the pledge is primarily directed at dealers, not collectors (though I do think any collector who openly buys slabbed chips will lose some trading partners).

>> We are all free to do what we want but to black ball someone for buying a slabbed item is wrong.

Your opinion, James, to which you are entitled. Obviously, I disagree. Fortunately for both of us, we each get to act on our own opinions.

>> I am not buying it to resell it as a slabbed item. I am not supporting
>> it in my eyes, but I am in yours you are saying?

Yes.

>> I said I would crack the chip out! I will destroy the slab.
>> If I do this to all slabbed chips will I then be your clubs hero?

No.

>> I will be killing the slab before it grows. So why aren't your members already doing this?

See Pete Sanders' post on this subject, which explains better than mine why I think that when you purchase slabbed chips, you are supporting slabbing, even if you crack them out of the slabs.

We cannot kill slabbing by buying slabbed chips and destroying the slabs. We CAN kill slabbing by refusing to buy slabbed chips AT ALL.

>> Your anti-slab club is sanctioned by our National CC>CC right?

The Slabfree Chapter is not a separate club, but is a Chapter of the CC>CC. Some members of the Slabfree Chapter have not signed the pledge. Some signers of the pledge are not members of the chapter. There are some differences of opinion among those who oppose slabbing as to how that should be done and not everyone agrees with the 5th point in the pledge.

Again, I look forward to hearing your further thoughts on the subject. ----- jim o\-S