Let me begin with a comment, I appreciate the issue ws rased in an appropriate, and respectful manner. Jerry raised his issues in a constructive manner, while respecting the strong feelings he knew existed on the subject. Furthermore, I felt the responses have likewise been respectful in their agreement or disagreement. Hopefully my response will be equal to that perspective.

Several references to this issue having been 'beaten to eath' have been made, but for an issue this significant in our hobby requires frequent re-examination. There are constantly new members who will wonder about the issue, new information comes to light, the realities of the hobby change.

I am opposed to the idea of slabbing, as it currently exists; and with an eye to what I see as its weaknesses, potential benefits, and the nature of the hobby, I doubt that view will ever change. This is what is called full disclosure.

While I am sure there are other examples of 'slabbing' or its equivelant, the two examples I am familiar with are coin collecting and sports cards. In coin collecting the size of the hobby, the ability to verify and document information, and the longevity of the hobby all somewhat justify the use of experts to assist in the process (especially in the high value coins). I suspect the same situation exists in stamps, I know it does in artwork, and I believe it does i the classic car hobby (Ralph would know better than I).

In sports cards, it exploded and everybody dug out every card in their closets, and private companies lawfully did reproductions, and the slabbing was sloppy, too many errors, and the hobby while still significant, has fallen off.

INmy mind slabbing has a mixed overall record. And while many in our hobby like to compare chipping to coin collecting there are significant differences that concern me. The lack of documentation, the support of related government agencies, the lack of historical support. There are other reasons as well, but I shall move on.

Slabbing in our hobby could work IF, and this is one big IF, there were persons with real expertise, enough high value product exchanging hands on a regular basis, and commonly excepted standards.

There are experts, with years of knowledge. Interestingly these are the folks who are most opposed to slabbing, and do the most to defeat slabbing by the simply act of sharing their expertise for free. Why pay for questionable or unknown expertise, when you can go to the true experts cost free. I collected for twenty years before ever learning there was a club, as well as so many other things.

The market does not have that many mega chips, most are well under a hundred bucks. Because there aren't a lot of high value chipsw, then slabbers will need to get into the lower value chips, which adds an unnecessary cost to an item. A current $1 chip is $1, but because somebody had to go and get it, and make it available (or ship it) causes it to increase in value. That is why guys like Andy and the General are hobby dealers (there mark-up is a cost covering enterprise. But there existence allows persons who don't have easy access to the Vegas market, inexpensive access to those chips).

Hobbyist who seek out the mega chips have the knowledge, or access to the experts. The rest of us collect what makes us happy. If a person is collecting as an investment, they are making a huge mistake. The reasons I will enumerate later.

Lots of people bought cards as an investment, and while some did and are doing really well, most have either stagnated, or lost their economic comparable value. If our concern is how to position chipping to be an investment oriented enterprise, then expect slabbing. But the average person coming into the hobby isn't going to be worrying about the mega chips, they will be looking at the chips that trigger the 'cool' reflex.

There have been really hot hobbies that became investment based operations (anybody remember beanie babies-and I have my beer can collection still if anybody wants to buy it). Chipping could be the current hot hobby, if Poker cools off (and their are signs that it may), then the hobby could also. A box of z value chips could be found tomorrow, and the value would be decimated. It is much less likely that such a find will occur in coins or stamps, but because of so many collectors the value may still hold (I don't collect chips or stamps). A major find of van goghs will not efect the value of van goghs, interestingly enough the cost of oil does.

A company trying to slab chips, even if they are acting in good faith (and there is cause for concern in this area as well), lacks access to information, governmental support, expertise, and a large enough market to justify the effort.

I guess my response to the initial post is if your friend is interested in 'investing' in chips, tell him to not bother. If he wants to be in a fun hobby, that has lots of interesting side items to collect as well, and provides for some great friends, then join the CCGTCC, and we'll buy him one at the splash bar in Augst, and maybe hook him up with a few 'cool' chips.