Michael,

For the longest time, I thought I was the only collector that preferred "used", albeit, good-condition chips over uncirculated or mint condition chips. I keep telling people, I do not collect Las Vegas $5 house chips in order to sell or trade them and therefore, I do not look at them as an investment. I simply collect as a vintage/nostalgic link to Las Vegas history: through all the changes, ups and downs, each decade and the differences associated with them, casinos/gaming establishments that came and went and those that didn't even open for business. The used condition chips have experience, stories to tell (if they could only actually speak), a life of its own, rich in gambling history. How long was it in use; how many hands of poker or blackjack were they used in; how many people touched these chips; who handled these chips? Gamblers, celebrities, gangsters (mob), the everyday person... which may become famous or infamous, all walks of life and from everywhere on the planet. This means more to me than a chip that is picked up directly from the cage when it was first issued and then dropped into a drawer or placed in a jewelry box for years... that is your uncirculated, mint condition for ya'.

Regards,
Thomas (R-7788)