So... we think that someone made a hotstamp die recently in cuba, No, not someone, there are several groups that work together and they have plenty of die which they get free from the Govmnt labs, and the hot stamp is done very easily there,

then got some old blank clay chips , no they make it there

and stamped them with the CC design in gold foil, yes, very easily, although a very poor job, as when you warm up the gold and scratch it, it comes out shinning, showing how new it is

then aged them by tumbling them in a clothes dryer with wood chips or similar-ect. NO, they did not spend much time "aging them", otherwise when you compare the surface, clean it and break a small piece, the inside would not be almost identically, and there would be "time layers" which you see under the surface of old chips when cut perpendicular to the surface. Also, they did not take the time until the gold foil had penetrated the surface, at which point it would be hard to scratch it out or make it disappear with light acidic compounds.

What would it cost them to make the Die there? Very little or free. Anything that can be made in a lab, they can buy in small quantities from lab worker or "night man". All they need is a small amount of die powder and they can easily make it.

Interesting to think about.

Westen, you are a very smart man, but I think you got stuck with a CC. If there is any doubt, I can get you in touch with the group that made the CC, the NICHE, and the Zombie Club,(kidding, would not want anybody else directly involved with them, but they do live very close to you), which were the last ones they made, prior to the CC. And which I will address next week. Unfortunately those last two were brought about 6 years ago and hanged around to the point that every one has them and nobody wants them to be fake. I know because Frank and I were the first to bring The Niche chips, and so exited that a new chip showed up that we did not see the obvious ay first. I stll have the bag that I brought, did not sell any after I realize they were fake. Soon after, I got sick ,and woke up with these chips being the most common in ebay. Very embarrassed to realized I imported a monster.