Excellent posts & reading material. It was $15,100 for the rectangle mold Hacienda LV $5 on ebay. It is still unique. It was found at a swap meet for I believe $2. Correct me if I am wrong about the price but even if it were $200 it was a steal. When it was found years ago though it may of only been worth $200. A value that would be set by one collector to another.
A Sands $25 arodie has been offered at $19,500 but did not sell & is back in a collection.
I believe I was the first to pay over $10 G's for a chip. The Sands arodie blue $5. My pride & joy. How this came about I will write another time. The story behind it makes it one I will never sell. Money, or the potential to make it, does not matter when it comes to some of the chips we collectors find & how they are found. We appreciate & are nutty about chips!
In 1990 Jerry & Janice found 18 "Bugsy" Flamingo $100 Las Vegas. Diecut metal inlay chips. They sold them for more than what most chips were bringing at the time. $85! I am still very thankful I was able to get the last one they had & they took it in trade at the first Bellflower show. Those were the days. Within 2 years I would say, this chip went to $500. Later I bought one for a collector out of an auction at $1385. In 96 or 97 one sold at auction for $5400. I later helped broker this at $8,750 in 2000 I believe, or late 99. Recently one sold for $9,500. At the last convention 2 were for sale at $12,500. I am not sure if one sold. Rumor is one did. I know of another sale for even more than this!
The $5 smooth mold Bugsy was sold in the mid 80's by Bill Borland for $60. Myself & many passed as that was outrageous for a chip when most could be picked up for $5 or less!
Oh the memories of 15 years of collecting.

I tell part of the Flamingo $100 story & others in my Official US Casino Chip Price Guide.

Sure some chips have gone down but I feel so many more have gone up I dont even think of the ones that have gone down a bit in value. It was the fun acquiring & dealing with fellow collectors that has made it all fun. What good is a pile or chips or anything if you are the only one to see it?

Chips have risen in value more than anything I have seen. Many are super rare & many are historically important with huge demand. THey are little pieces of art. Compared to other items people collect, for the most part nearly all chips are rare. Early chips were not made in the millions like coins, stamps, books, etc. Many small clubs ordered 1,000 or less. Some big ones had maybe 10,000 of the more needed denominations like $1 & $5.
Many chips have gone up so much it was time some slowed down. Many collectibles have gone down due to the internet. We now have a means to spend money all day & night & not wait for a shows to roll around. Therefore more money is constantly being spent on collections. I am very surprised chips are selling as well as they are & for as much as they are in this time of a rather slower & shakey economy.