...within the past 30 days or so. Chips like the can-can Frontier chip you spoke of may not sell each month. Here's what I do: When I find a chip I'm interested in I open the auction and add it to my watch list. When the auction ends I record the date, sale price, and S&H fee in a Word file. If the condition is noteworthy, then I'll note that too. I can then look back on what was actually paid for the chip over the last 5-7 years. If you need the history of a specific chip, just send me an e-mail and an image of the chip and I'll reply with the info I have on hand Jon.

You're observation is 100% correct -- the "guides" were written by chip sellers and their prices are highly inflated.