The trading card hobby was built on collecting modern cards with no potential for price appreciation and makers willing to produce as many as the hobby would take. Does this sound like any particular aspects of the casino chip and token collecting hobby? How about "limited edition" chips. How about "silver premium tokens"?

I don't see the comparison to the collecting of real gaming items (made for playing the games) as particularly relevant. Scarce items with history will always have value, although as the coin hobby shows, that value will go through cycles over time. IMO, limited edition chips are the 'commemorative postage stamps' of our hobby. Pretty, attract new collectors, but not to be collected for price appreciation. Most will be sold by the collector (or his heirs) for less than he paid for them, just as with trading cards.

Collecting for price appreciation is not perceived as Politically Correct by many, but underlies most of the rare chip and token collecting hobby, just as it does other collectibles hobbies. Thousands paid for old furniture and millions paid for oil paintings are motivated only slightly by the artistic value and pride of acquisition; mostly the collectors expect to eventually sell for more than they paid.