Kyle,
why avoid the auction, if the seller is honest enough to state that the hot stamp has been removed? At the show in vegas I found a Tahoe Plaza $5.00 (almost all have been overstamped with a $1.00) This one had not been overstamed, or so it apeared. As soon as I picked up the chip the seller informed me that the "overstamp" had been removed, and sure enough upon close inspection one could tell that it had been overstamped, unless I had been told I might not have make that close inspection. while I did not buy tht chip I did buy other chips from the same dealer.