Here goes another wacky idea…

One of the things I enjoy most about attending the convention is going through dealer “Junk Boxes”.

What’s a "Junk Box" you may ask?

Well, many of the dealers on the convention floor will have a box of chips containing odds and ends that they’ve been unable to sell, or have a million of. So, they put them in a box on their table and label them “$1 Each” or “3 for $1” or “3 for $10” or some other price, depending on the quality of what the box contains and how badly the dealer wants to unload them.

There are always some interesting looking chips in most Junk Boxes, but there are also a lot of worn, damaged and EXTREMELY common chips. There are fantasy chips, home poker chips, chips from closed casinos, chips from card rooms, chips from casinos that never opened, etc. Anybody who loves UFC’s (Unidentified Flying Chips) would love a Junk Box. Part of the fun is looking through to see what gems you can discover. Here are examples of some chips I’ve found in dealer’s Junk Boxes:

Of course, you can’t enjoy the fun of grazing through the Junk Boxes unless you go to the convention. And, not everyone can go to the convention.

So, here’s where my wacky idea comes in. I’m prepared to give those who can’t attend the convention a chance to get some random chips at those Junk Box prices.

Here’s how it will work if anybody wants in on it. PLEASE READ THE RULES COMPLETELY BEFORE PARTICIPATING:

1. Those who want to participate may buy individual “lots” of Junk Box chips in $10 increments. The minimum number of lots each person can buy is one lot for $10. The maximum number of lots each person can buy is four lots for $40.

2. For each $10 increment you buy, I will use $1 for postage and shipping expenses. So, $9 goes towards buying chips and the $1 goes towards shipping. If you buy more than one lot, I’ll take $1 out of each lot you buy ($4 for shipping on 4 lots). If I come up short on shipping money, I’ll make up the difference. If it costs me less than $1 per lot to ship, I keep the difference. I’m not going to itemize or track my cost of shipping, so if you’re worried that I might make money off the $1 for shipping, please don’t participate.

3. All money will go into a pool and I will select the best chips for the money based entirely on my judgment. My aim is to buy from the cheapest boxes and select the best stuff. You might end up with 18 chips per lot or 9 or less, depending on how the dealers have them priced. I probably won’t be shopping in the $5 Junk Boxes because you won’t get as much bang for your buck. However, if I need to go to the $5 boxes because I’ve run out of decent chips to buy in the $1 boxes, I may do so.

4. When I get home, I’ll divide the chips by the number of total lots I’m buying for and send you yours. For example, if I end up buying for 10 lots and bring home 150 chips, each lot will receive 15 chips. The chips you receive will be entirely random, but I’ll again use my own judgment to try to distribute the best chips evenly among lots with no duplications.

5. By participating, you agree to take what I send you and not whine about it. I can’t fill any special requests and you may get chips that you’ve already got one of or that you think are truly “junk”. Chips may include poker chips from personal sets, generic antique poker chips, UFC’s, closed casinos, advertising chips, fantasy chips. Most chips will be in Poor, Well-Used or Average condition. The only guarantee is that they’ll be round and flat. Worst case scenario, you use them for traders or donate them to new members trying to build their collections.

6. Sometimes the dealers will lower the prices as they get closer to the close of the convention. However, by then many of the best “finds” will be gone. I will only be buying chips on Thursday, the opening day of the show, so I may miss out on some bargain prices, but hopefully will bring home some of the better “junk”.

7. This offer is ONLY open to members who will not be attending the convention this year.

8. If you’re interested, please e-mail me and let me know how many lots you’d like to buy and how you will be getting your payment to me. I’ll respond with my mailing address or PayPal ID. Be sure to send me your mailing address too. You MUST e-mail me first so I can keep track of how many lots I’m expected to buy for.

9. Anyone who wants to participate must get payment to me before June 26th when I am leaving town for Las Vegas. I can accept PayPal, personal checks or money orders, but if I haven’t received your money by June 26th you’re too late, so act quickly and mail early.

10. I reserve the right to close this offer at any time if the response is too great. After all, I don’t want to spend ALL of my time digging through Junk Boxes!

And, if you're a member who's NOT going to the convention, be sure to visit the link below and get your name on the list for the 3rd Annual Un-CONVENTION-al Ziploc Drawing.