... though I am not quite as pessimistic about brass cores as you are. I have quite a few, some of which were fairly expensive, though I don't own any of the off color varieties.

I bought a lot of my brass cores from Mel. I have examined them all carefully and am satisfied that they are all legitimate.

Perhaps I'm not as concerned about the possible effects of this on their values, because I have no intention of ever selling any of them. With a single exception, I still have every chip I've ever collected (not counting, of course, traders).

Otherwise, I agree with the sentiments you expressed.

----- jim o\-S