Supply and demand in the simple marketplace of casino chips, works just fine.

As long as there are less people who want the LE's from anyplace, than the supply, the prices will level off. If a casino issued 2000 LE's but there are only 1000 collectors who want them, destroying 1000 chips won't have much effect. In fact the point where prices change is when more of us want a chip, than there are available.

I don't see many collectors who "must have" a chip that was issued at 2000 numbers. Plus what David and others have said, dealers stock up.

Until there is a increased desire to own a particular chip, that is unavailable for the number of people who actually want it, the price is going to be average for the same type of chip. Even chips in short supply will be "average" prices, if there is no increased motivation and demand. By the same logic, an uncommon chip with small numbers will not achieve higher valuation if people don't have a strong incentive to add it to their collection.

Roulette chips are a good example. They are expensive and sometimes difficult to obtain and in many cases in very short supply. But the people who have a strong interest is limited. They suffer from undervalued estimates in the marketplace, based on supply alone. But someone who collects a specific casino is willing to pay more to have one, and at the same time someone who collects a broader area of casinos, will take a pass on something that actually represents a more uncommon chip. Not only can't you get a roulette chip from the cage, they are produced is smaller quantities than most LEs. But often they list for the same as some $1 table chip?

Betty Boop.