With respect to the chip offered on ebay ... here are my personal observations that others may take issue with.

1. There are a relatively small pool of only so many well-heeled chip collectors who will spend four-figures on ANY chip (especially on a valuable chip sight-unseen).
2. Not all high-end collectors have the time fo follow ebay sales, but instead rely on chip dealers to provide them with chips from their want lists at retail prices.
3. Sometimes it is DEALERS who are the successful bidders for expensive chips on ebay with intentions of selling the chip at a later date at a higher RETAIL price (maybe even at the CC & GTCC Convention).
4. If it was ME offering such a chip on ebay ... I would make damn sure that the photo or scan that accompanied the description would be of high quality ... even if the chip itself was not of high quality.
5. If it was ME offering such a chip on ebay ... the FIRST place I would tout such an ebay offering would be in announcements on thechipboard.com as many chip collectors I'm sure were not even aware this chip was being offered for sale.
6. Like the old saying in real estate ... "location, location, location" is key; condition, condition, condition, is a comparable consideration when purchasing valuable/expensive chips.
7. Timing; As the original poster pointed out ... these are not exactly booming times where many chippers used to have much more disposable income than they have in today's hard economic times. Even the casinos are hurting ... but are hoping that things will eventually return to 'normal'...

Below is a portion of what ia published in the preface of my sold out A.C. Catalog in the Estimated Price Guide section.

"For users of this value guide, it would be helpful to keep in mind that the following information has been compiled from various sources and represents what the author feels is a fair representation of estimated retail prices from established dealers for chips and tokens in excellent (near-mint) condition. (which this particular chip was not)

Many sellers of casino chips use various Price Guides as documented reference sources to price their material. A well-circulated chip is often unfairly cited as having a similar value as those estimates on these pages. While I personally object to grading systems, there is no question that lesser quality chips, which are worn, will sell for less money than specimens in top condition.

EBAY: While Ebay offers an excellent source of locating chips and tokens at auction to add to one’s collection … collectors are cautioned that Ebay sales do not represent the final word on retail values. Not all chip and token collectors are on-line and often those collector’s who are on-line, sometimes miss the bidding deadline imposed at sometimes very inconvenient hours which would result in higher prices realized. In addition, many collectors use E-bay as a convenient dumping ground to rid inventories of overstocked chips … plus, many chips and tokens offered on E-bay are sometimes purchased by dealers and collectors at bargain prices for re-sale to customers at higher retail prices.

While NO price guide is 100% accurate, the use of such guides by collectors are valuable resource tools which should be consulted before making purchases or offering items for sale…. keeping in mind that a guide, is a guide, is a guide and that chips in less than excellent condition should not carry the same price that higher quality chips bring. Conversely, discriminating collectors who are seeking perfect, pristine, chip & token specimens for their collections, should expect to pay substantial premiums above the estimates given in this price guide.

Yes, there will be times when specific items can be purchased for higher or lower prices than those listed in this catalog. In the past, the primary source of obtaining chips and tokens were from limited face-to-face transactions between buyer and seller. With the growing popularity of E-bay, Yahoo, Jackpot, and other search engine outlets, such as Craigslist, many collectors now utilize this electronic source for finding and disposing of duplicate chips and tokens in order to purchase additional desirable items for their collections."