When I first began collecting chips I remembered that my grandmother--Mother Dixie to us kids--had a set of engraved ivory chips. I asked my father if he had the chips. He replied that they had been put in storage along with a number of my Dumas Texas family items in WWII when he was in the Air Force. When he returned the storage fee had not been paid and the items were sold off. Among the things we lost were family deeds; an oral history (in writing of course) of the Texas Dumases and Travises; a pearl handled notched (representing kills) pistol my great great something or other wore as a Texas Marshal and and the ivory chips.

A few years later at Christmas I received a heavy package from my step mother. Now she and my father always sent nice things to my kids and a little or something for me and my wife but nothing special. When I opened the package there was a beautiful chest and holder containing 300 fleur-de-lis chips in near mint condition. They were her family's chips.

Neat Christmas present! Although I suspect her three sons were not altogether happy when they found out about the gift.