Ok, we have now hit 6 subjets that very few people disagree with and that means....

Time for controversy !!!!!!!!!!!!

Newby Tip of the Day # 7

Condition, Condition, Condition

A friend of mine told me something nearly 10 years ago that comes to mind. He said the 3 most important factors in the value of a chip was "Condition, Condition, and Condition"

There are a lot of collectors who will disagree with me on this one and I can honestly understand a lot of thier reasons.

Until 7-8 years ago not many of us "Chippers" cared much about the condition of the chips or tokens they collected. It was more important to us the history behind the chip or where it was from. It wasnt until the Campiglia & Wells (C&W) book came out that people could actually see a range of prices based on conditions.

Since then we can clearly see the trend of values based on condition as a HUGE factor in its selling price.

I can draw on the comparison to Baseball cards again since I experienced that one first hand. When I was younger I was thrilled to pick up a Willie Mays rookie card at a bargian price with one corner torn nearly completely off. At that time it was priced about 2/3 book price for a nice one. Only years later when grading came into full swing were the variation in values between the grades magnified. While a Near Mint card might sell for $50, a gem mint 10 card might sell for 10x, 20x, or even 100x that value.

I see the same thing happening to chip and token values. The items in truly mint shape are bringing amazing prices compared to those lesser condition ones.

Now, I am NOT saying collect only new condition chips as I have some real dingers in my own collection. One of my favorite chips is the old Silver Palace chip in the bottom of the scan shown. This chip is worn, drilled and even cracked !!!!, however its STILL one of my favorites.

What I am saying though is I am constantly looking to upgrade my collection with better chips. If I had the choice of a better condition chip at a little more cost, I would choose the better condition one.

Now for the contravercial part...... Many people actually like the wear on a chip. The argument there is that the wear, grime, chips and even cigarette burns give the chips characture. I can see the point as those chips showing wear carry the history of that chip with them. That fact I cant argue.

The point I CAN argue however is that the more valuable of 2 chips will nearly always be the one in better condition.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.

Happy chipping to all

Doug