After reviewing the bidders of the higher priced sold auctions - there is definitely a shill/scam situation going on, and it looks like a few buyers have been caught up in it.

I do wonder however - are there really serious enough collectors out there that would pay $100+ for a chip on ebay that would not first check SOLD and COMPLETED listings for the chip of interest? The chip guides are useful, but when there are multiple arms length purchases within a short time window, I don't think you need any more evidence of fair market value.