... what the reason for defacing the chip was?

>> When a casino drills a chip, or uses a type of hot stamp on the inlay,
>> it's usually done for a very good reason ....

The reason, of course, is to prevent the chip from being turned in for cash. Filling the hole for the purpose of turning the chip in for cash would be both unethical under the club's COE and illegal as a form of fraud.

>> To fill in this hole (or remove the gold pigment on the hot stamp) is
>> altering the casino's message when they released them in the marketplace.

So? I have a complete set of chips which were cancelled with massive gold hot stamps. The hot stamps were removed by the collector who sold them to me. I also got one dupe with the hot stamp intact -- it completely obliterates the design of the chip. I like the set, but only because I can actually see the chips. I see nothing wrong with the removal of the hot stamps The person who sold them to me did so with complete disclosure of their nature. I was happy with the deal. Did he commit some kind of ethical violation when he removed the hot stamp? When he sold me the chips? Is it unethical for me to own these chips with the cancellations removed?

>> If some want to say filling in this hole is no different than fixing
>> a cracked teacup ... they are dead wrong because the crack in the
>> teacup wasn't put there for the same reason the hole was put in the chip.

Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I see no difference. The reason that the damage was done to the object is, IMO, completely irrelevant. Furthermore, if someone repairs a crack in a teacup and then sells it with the representation that it was not damaged, that would be a fraud. And, if it was a casino teacup and sold by one member of the CC>CC to another, would be a violation of our code of ethics.

>> Now, watch for the question: "What if Joe Blow drills a hole in a chip; is it wrong to fill it in?"

OK, John, is it??

By your analogy, it wouldn't be because he didn't drill the hole to deliver the same "message" that a casino intends when a chip is drilled cancelled.

Talk about an irrational (and impossible to enforce) standard for evaluating the ethics of repairs -- whether they are OK or not depends on the reason the damage was inflicted to begin with.

----- jim o\-S