in every issue of the CCTN. Just turn to the Promotions pages (Club Merchandise) and you will see images of the past winners (years '95, '96, '99, '00, '01, '02 and '03) as they are still available for purchase. (Note: The winning entrant in the contest has his/her design incorporated into the Club's Convention Chip. A quantity of chips are ordered and sold at the Convention and then sold throughout the year, year after year, until sold out. As is the case with pre- '95 Convention chips and the '97 and '98 Convention chips.)

Each year, at about this time, the Convention Chairman (Jim Steffner) calls for design entries (for both the chip and medal). Jim has now done this in the most current issue of the CCTN (which may not have been delivered everywhere, yet!).

On page 77 of the current CCTN, you will see Jim's announcement for the 2004 contests (chip and medal). A custom has been developing in which the runner up entrant for the chip design is used for the Convention T-Shirt design. However, the exact design may or may not be used, as the silk screen proces used in T-Shirt printing does not support full-color imagery. Sometimes the chip designs have mixed and multi-shade colors. This cannot be supported (without additional, significant costs) in the one or two color silk screening of T-Shirts. Some designs that look great in full color look terrible in one or two colors only, and sometimes the second or third place finisher may have to be used for the T-Shirt design.

The design winners (medal and chip) are done as a function of review and voting by a panel of Judges appointed by the Design Chairman. Although I am not positive, I believe that the Design Chairman is also the Convention Chairman, BUT I COULD BE WRONG. I'm sure the Convention Chairman will set this straight.

Lastly, the newly created Convention Card/Key was inaugurated for the 2003 Convention. To expedite the acquisition process, the aready existing T-Shirt design was used (along side the Club logo) and 180 cards were printed just in time for the Convention. In the first several days all of those cards were sold-out, at a price of $2 each. As I worked the Convention booth, I can tell you that there were very, very few multiple card sales to dealers. Most sales were to individuals buying one or two cards. But I suspect that some cards exist as traders or duplicates for sale.

There is no firm process set forth for the 2004 Convention Card/Key, to my knowledge.

I hope this info helps.

Jim Follis
On-Line Communications Director