... mischaracterized the opinion of at least one of our resident "legal scholars" (that would be me):

>> "When otherwise solid chippers deliver their drilled and
>> notched chips to the "restorers" in our hobby ... they also
>> contribute to the demise of our hobby, along with those who are
>> selling this stuff as originals and offering refunds when they are
>> found out.... and in the opinion of several legal scholars, no law
>> has been broken."

The bold portion of your statement describes a fraud (even if there is a refund). I have said repeatedly that such conduct is both wrong and illegal. It is a crime. In California (and most or all other states as well), fraud can be either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the amount of money involved.

----- jim o\-S