Oh Archie, glad you chimed in. I do love a good debate based on logic.

I see your point on sanding a poker chip as altering it. I'm still chewing on that, but I want to say ... "But isn't that obvious that it has been worn some? And if it is not, should anyone care?" In that state, it is still 100% pure--albeit maybe a little less mass than before. I think this discussion defined my line for me--I think I like the purity of composition. Hmm... I need to chew on that a bit too.

Now, keep in mind, I have a lot of chips in my collection that are worn from use. Many that are more worn than the one or two monograms I've cleaned up with a little steel wool. I love them every bit as much as the pure chips in my collection--maybe a little more because they have a little character.

Now, also keep in mind that I'm a big fan of cleaning chips and tokens. (And in theory, I would coins too.) I like to look at them without dirt and tarnish. Do you clean chips? (Looking for common/not common ground to build understanding.) What about other collectibles? Oh, that's probably a bad place to go, because people repair old machines all the time and they are still "antiques" to some.

Good thoughts... keep sharing.

Bryan