....my name is Jason and I am an addict. I never used to be, and I think it is important that everyone knows who all the bad people are, the ones who dragged me into this infectious world of chipping....

to start with, the first person is probably my lovely wife, who took me to the Westcliff Sporting Club many years ago when we were first dating...that was probably positioning me at the top of the slippery slope!

Then the introduction of the internet meant that I could start to look for other like minded people. I stumbled across the Chip Ring as my first chip related discovery and while I don't have records to confirm who I first traded with, I know that I traded with Greg Susong and traded for Indian and Riverboat chips back when I collected everything!

Then I found the Chipboard and things really started going downhill, especially those of you who were interested in UK chips or had some to trade. Names such as Archie Black (who even started the club to entice more people into this world of collecting!), Doug Smith, Leonidas Tan, John Benedict to name a few all pulled me a little further in.

Then I found you could get people to send chips as soon as they were released - Larry Holliburgh and Chuck Smorse have to take the blame here, especially Chuck once I started to concentrate on Vegas chips.

It gets worse people!! Ross Poppel came over to the UK on the pretence of working here for a while, and we met for a quick tour of London casinos and some trading. Then others living here started to trade and sell chips - David Spragg, Robert Jammaers, Roberto Fabbiano, Garin Williamson, Ross Walker etc to name but a few.

And then you get people dragging you into other areas......I have always picked up Paris LV items as that is where I stay when in town, but Zhongshi Wu has pulled me into the world of Paris jetons with his recent project. And Jerry Birl who had a big bunch of Paris roulettes for me, but enough gaps that I keep hunting the others down. And the people over at the Slot Card board who have me chasing the room keys down!

And now, finally I have sunk to a new low. A week or so ago there was a post about collecting, and Pam G posted some pics with her display cases. I thought they looked great.....and again I was suckered in. A quick search of Ebay later and a local store was closing down and had some display cases to sell - and this afternoon I paid up and brought one home. It needs some more organising, and some stands for the plates and crockery that I have so that I can squeeze more in, and yet already I am thinking about buying the second case that the seller had available as I only managed to get about a third of my non-chip items into the cabinet.

I am here to stay people.....and it is all your fault. THANK YOU ALL (especially those I haven't named personally but who have helped me build up my collection over the years)!!!!!!!

A few scans for your enjoyment.....