Up front, I'm ignorant of coin and sports card collecting... and high end chip ownership too! Here're my suggestions for getting better value and comfort for expensive chip purchases. Lurk on the board for awhile and get a feel for some of the folks you might want to ask for collecting help. We all love chips and the hobby, we futz with them all the time for relaxation being as it's mostly still a hobby at this time. That doesn't negate the expertise you're going to find here or demean the scope of the chip market. I would then pick out a few names and just email them and pose whatever plan or questions you may have to them. I know I would help out and at least put you with the "big dogs" of the hobby for the appropriate help. We had a fellow come to the board out of the blue one day with some choice ivory chips and I feel we helped him get top $ for his pieces ($10,000+!). Another important thing to do would be to join CCGTCC to take advantage of our ethics commitment. Its part of our club regulations and we have procedure in place to resolve any situations in this area. I don't know of any unresolved ethics problems between club members as opposed to some of the matters occuring with non-members. We've had member sellers refund substantial amounts when, through no fault of their own, new finds impacted rarity and therefore lowered market prices. Thats the way chip collecting has been...so far. Hope you find some use for these suggestions Greg and hope you do decide to join us in the hobby at what ever level you wish.