>>>Is the sale of chips in the $30K+ range really good for the hobby?

Yes, such sales generate interest in the hobby even though it is a chip that clearly most folks could not ever own.

Folks don't stop collecting Elvis stuff simply because they can't own a guitar that sells for a million bucks.

Today's new collectors should be looking at chips that most are ignoring. I think the snapper collectors are probably moving in the right direction. With so many folks collecting $1's and $5's, they may be sitting on the rare chips of the future.

Whenever something is produced "as" a collectible, it almost never works. It is the item nobody ever dreamed would be collectible that makes the surprise entrance.

Personally, I don't collect for value. I just collect for the fun of doing it