Are you saying that large numbers of people who are below the age of 50 (below 40, presumably), who have shown little interest in our hobby, will join the hobby if chips start being slabbed? That is what it sounds like you are saying. Although I do not personally like the idea of slabbing, I am open to any idea that seems to have good logic behind it, but I really don't follow your logic at all. If the problem was one that authentication or neutral grading could resolve, I would understand. But, I am unaware of any problems like those. Condition is defined very broadly in this hobby and it's generally pretty clear what condition a chip is in (assuming you have a scan of both sides or can see the chip for yourself). Forgery does not seem like a serious problem either. So, what value do the slabbing companies add, exactly? They have proven they no nothing about chips, about chip conditions or anything else you might expect from experts. They did try to enter the hobby shortly before I became involved, and it went nowhere. The result was the anti-slabbing club. Those discussion still came up from time to time when I first hit the chip board. You might want to search the archives. The threads were very interesting, well-argued and thorough. In any case, I guess I just don't understand why it would help this hobby, even if it reinvigorated sports cards.

I do appreciate the thought behind your suggestion, though, and hope you and others keep presenting new ideas to bring in new collectors.

Michael Siskin