Before I was a member, the members-only contests did not bother me at all. I understood why the contests were set up that way. The one thing I was not thrilled about, which I do not see so much anymore, were the posts by people who said they refuse to trade with/sell to/buy from non-members. I guess they got burned, but I didn't and still don't see how excluding non-members would solve anything. I'm sure most non-members are fine upstanding collectors and I'm sure there are more than one or two members who are not always ethical about their transactions. People are people. I understand that the club rules give you a means of reporting unethical behavior, but it's rarely an issue, or a large enough issue to report.

Michael Siskin