Before I got ill, I had this plan to raise money for the , or for a chosen charity and in doing so, if proper steps were taken, would bring greater attention to this hobby and thus the Club.

But I did get sick and even though I have tried to participate as much as I did (and sometimes it would have been in my best interest not to be on the computer, for it made my illness worse), I had to put on-the-side this vision I had.

Yet, today I have been feeling much better and here I will start this idea and hope, with the help of fellow chip collectors that something great will come from it.

Back in 2005, a fellow Canadian started a project to see if he could grow (via trades) a simple red paperclip into something grand as a house.

Here is a brief write-up on what he did:

One red paperclip was created by Kyle MacDonald, a Canadian who bartered his way from a single red paperclip to a house in a series of online trades over the course of a year. MacDonald was inspired by the childhood game Bigger, Better, and the site received a considerable amount of notice for tracking the transactions. "A lot of people have been asking how I've stirred up so much publicity around the project, and my simple answer is: 'I have no idea,'" he told the BBC.

MacDonald made his first trade, a red paper clip for a fish-shaped pen, on July 14, 2005. He reached his goal of trading up to a house with the fourteenth transaction, trading a movie role for a house. This is the list of all transactions MacDonald made:

On July 14, 2005, he went to Vancouver and traded the paperclip for a fish-shaped pen.
He then traded the pen the same day for a hand-sculpted doorknob from Seattle, Washington, which he nicknamed KNOB-T.
On July 25, 2005, he traveled to Amherst, Massachusetts, with a friend to trade the KNOB-T for a Coleman camp stove (with fuel).
On September 24, 2005, he went to San Clemente, California, and traded the camp stove for a Honda generator.
On November 16, 2005, he made a second (and successful) attempt (after having the generator confiscated by the New York City Fire Department) in Maspeth, Queens, to trade the generator for an "instant party" ... an empty keg, an IOU for filling the keg with the beer of the holder's choice, and a neon Budweiser sign.

Kyle MacDonald's house .... On December 8, 2005, he traded the "instant party" to Quebec comedian and radio personality Michel Barrette for a Ski-doo snowmobile.
Within a week of that, he traded the snowmobile for a two-person trip to British Columbia, in February 2006.
On or about January 7, 2006, the second person on the trip to traded Kyle a cube van for the privilege.
On or about February 22, 2006, he traded the cube van for a recording contract with Metal Works in Toronto.
On or about April 11, 2006, he traded the recording contract to Jody Gnant for a year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona.
On or about April 26, 2006, he traded the one year's rent in Phoenix, Arizona, for one afternoon with Alice Cooper.
On or about May 26, 2006, he traded the one afternoon with Alice Cooper for a KISS motorized snow globe.
On or about June 2, 2006, he traded the KISS motorized snow globe to Corbin Bernsen for a role in the film Donna on Demand.
On or about July 5, 2006, he traded the movie role for a two-story farmhouse in Kipling, Saskatchewan.

Ok, so that is the history of the original concept and how it played out .... I intend to take this idea and press forward into making it far better .... for the Club and the hobby.

STARTING WITH A SINGLE $1 common CASINO CHIP (pictured below) .... I ask for others to email me and offer a trade for this chip .... something you know is definitely higher value .... I will send you this chip for your chip. The chip you send me is ONLY going to be on-hold by me and thus, never really mine. BUT ... that more valued chip will then be posted on the ChipBoard for a trade of another chip or CHIPS .... the intention is by trading the overall value of the chip I receive will be better then the one I send ... It does ONE BIG THING for all .... you all can participate in THE ONE CASINO CHIP (by trading it for something known higher in value).

I have no interest in gaining anything for myself --- beyond drawing attention to the hobby and the wonderful values of chips to those who have no idea that many casino chips are valued.

In the end (around 1 month before the 2012 Convention). I will forward the chip(s) I have (via these trades) to the BOD of the , for likely the Convention auction (and no, I have never discussed this with any in the BOD) .... the money raised can go to the Club and/or a chosen charity chosen by the BOD and me.

So, here it goes .... THE ONE CASINO CHIP ....

Who will be the first to participate?
Who will trade a better chip for this one? ... for a great cause.
Let's see if we can't have the most amazing chip available in the end.

My best to all my chipper friends,
Derek "Happy To Be Alive" Bistricky R-8169

This is the chip being offered ...