I bid so I could watch the auction. Heck I'm high bidder and it looks like the only one. With luck I'll get outbid. Otherwise I just supported the inflation of manipulated chip releases.

Here's my personal take on the issue.

As long as people will buy these and pay the high prices, the casino is in the business of making chips for profit. They don't care about collectors, and why should they, it's pure business for profit.

The Four Queens makes $200 LE strikes which sell out on day of issue, even though it takes 20 wins from the machine to earn one. The casino has to love this, because they now have teams playing the machines to win the strikes and then saving them for release and redemption.

HR loves it because any time they can find an event or something close to a reason to release a chip, they sell out in the first couple of days, if not hours.

I'm not saying I like the practice, but it's pure business and profit from the casino's viewpoint.

How someone gets 25 before release is another issue. Can we say insider trading?

Why the same quantity of chips can be released from another casino and not sell out in months is another question. The answer is just because it's Hard Rock.

Facts of life. There are enough Hard Rock collectors to absorb the entire production, with the help of dealers who see a good profit on these chips, who pick up all the inventory they can. They are going to vanish until the day that some dealer gets stuck with 24 chips and they don't sell for over $7.50 each. Then it will be just another LE.

People gladly pay $300 or more for a $200 strike from Four Queens, because the market supports that number. Once there are less than 100 people/dealers with an interest, it becomes another ordinary $200 strike.

Anyone try to sell a $600 value Beanie Baby lately? The craze and market has dried up. The same will happen for Hard Rock chips. No buyers, so you can keep it or take a loss.

Collect because you enjoy and appreciate the history or art, and you'll never get stuck with some inflated value, but common chip.

Oh yes, I thought the chip was cute, so if I should happen to win, I will break my rule of NO Hard Rock chips in my collection. I might be forced to give it away to my friends, who do volunteer work at the animal shelter, as a keychain.