I believe Bob Eisenstadt has the real answer. Supply and demand.

Many people (although not publically stating it,) feel the same way I do and will not pay much over face value for a most chips unless they are older rare house chips from Nevada.

To pay $3.00 or $4.00 plus $2.00 for shipping for a $1.00 chip is just not practical. As Allan McCurdy and most other "collectors and true hobbiest" feel, trading is the way to go. It's not only more fun but less expensive.

Paying that extra buck or two is not going to hurt most of us, but in the same light, I don't believe it is going to help most of us either.

And for some unexplained reason, it seems to me at least, that so many more friendships are initiated when a trade is involved. And these friendships usually are culminated when we finally meet at the yearly convention or at one of the local gatherings duing the rest of the year.