Last 2 gaming trips out west (I'm from No. Virginia, so they are not that frequent):

In February went to Vegas. Staying MGM and playing craps there. Hear my craps dealer mentioning small town casinos of the past. I ask if he has any chips from there -- he says yes being a chip collector. I introduce myself -- he is CCGTCC member Bracken who runs casinobilia.com.

Today in Lake Tahoe, sat down at Harveys to play a few hours of NLHE. See an old Harveys chip in an airtight being used as a cardcover. I confirm he is a long time collector and early CCGTCC member -- Steve Passalacqua, who I had met last August at the convention when I bought a very nice Stardust purple CJ $20 from him (Steve -- just checked my DB for that, being sure we had a deal in the past)

So, I always keep my heads up and eyes sharp -- the chippers lurk everywhere!

Mark