Why not have the most prestigious committee of the CC-GTCC be a 5-10 member "Committee on Authenticity". Have them meet at the Convention, and one other time a year, or perhaps work via FedEx...

As a member service, these folks would grade higher-end chips for members wishing this service. Dare I say - the grading could be protected by Committee slab-like packaging? Since it is frequently impossible to be 100% sure if a chip is legit, short of destroying the chip to find out, each member could rank the chip on a scale of 1-100; the average would be an officially sanctioned club grading of the chip in question. Chips could be submitted anonymously, so that favoritism would be minimized. Dealers of high-end chips would be given time to submit chips for grading in advance of club Conventions...

If the grading was by experts in the club, under club auspices, cost you nothing but the minimal charge for the slab - I think I'd like to hear if you think this would solve this problem. Would you mind owning a chip, authenticated by the club, if the slab had a grade on it by Gene and a few other notable chip experts?

There, I've gone and stirred-up the hornets nest! REALLY, what is my alternative as a newer member? If I see a $4000 chip I really want at the Convention, should I ask the dealer if I can borrow it for a few hours, and then proceed to hunt-down notable club experts for their opinions on the chip? NOT GONNA HAPPEN! HOWEVER, if it had already been looked at by those experts, and their grades were protected by a slab, I'd be FAR more comfortable in making the investment.