I recently acquired the $100 chip from the Cal-Neva Biltmore, which ended one of my longest chip searches since I've been collecting. I had bid in auctions for the $100 a couple of times, but someone else always wanted it just a little more than I did. On this one, I wanted it just a little more than the runner-up bidder did.

The cable car in the accompanying picture was the inspiration for the inlay on the chips, which I've always thought are some of the best-looking inlays ever made. The cable cars used to shuttle vacationers around the north shore of Lake Tahoe in the 1950s.

Now that I have the $100, I'll have one less chip to look for at the convention. And as much as I love having this "family" complete, there is something about the thrill of the chase that I'll miss.