Pete-

I agree with you completely, but whenever I do anything I try to make sure I don't make stupid mistakes that unknowingly cost me money down the road.

As I stated in the quesiton on Palms LEs, I will most likely pick up what I like regardless. but part of what makes many people happy, myslf included, is a sense of working towards a level of completeness. Sure I could just collect whatever chips I like, and that would be all. But to be honest, there'a certain satisfaction of getting to a certain level (every $1 Vegas rack chip made in the '90s, every $5 Hard Rock, every Luxor LE, etc). I may start by collecting what I like, but eventually I'm going to fill in holes for that sense of satisfaction.

SO while I may simply pick up any chip honoring a rock band I like issued by any casino, I still need to decide whether a particular chip, issue, denomination, or property is one i want to commit that extra effort to. It's in those instances that I will probably always look to more practical issues (how many LEs do they issue, what denominations, how easy will they be to unload if I decide 3 years from now it's not worth it).

SImilarly, just as people ask about cleaning a chip, I'd hate to have Perry Farrell autograph my $25 Jane's Addiction chip, only to look back 5 years from now and wonder why I did that. Sure, it'll still be cool to some extent, but there are plenty of other things I could have him sign if the overall impression in the chip world is that it "destroys" a chip. After all, most people trade chips that they once liked because their tastes may move in a different direction. If I some day want to trade my $25 Jane's Addiction for a $25 Rocky Horror for example because my tastes have changed, I'd hate to be told "well, it would normally be an even trade if you hadn't ruined that chip by having the band members sign it."

I don't see those questions as indications that I'm approaching the hobby as an investment, and I'm sorry if they came off that way. But if I buy a matching-numbers 1979 Corvette Stingray show car, and pay for that, i'd like to know that I'm damaging the value before I decide it would be cooler with non-factory paint and a bigger engine. I still may do that, or I may opt to buy a non-matching car for less money.

Does that make any sense?