is the CURRENT membership. Our CURRENT members are not very interested in how this club runs...or even if it runs. I would guess that the majority of our CURRENT members belong because they get four really neat magazines a year that pertains to a hobby that they like. Not passionate about...just like. If you're passionate, you participate through volunteering or providing helpful ideas & suggestions (as you have done) or even just participating in discussions. Sad to say, but if this club just folded its tents, most would not realize it or care greatly. But there is a core group that does care and that is what keeps this alive. I completely agree with you that those that founded this club were of a different social connective era, but there are some that are trying to open up exposure to this club & this hobby through Twitter & Facebook & such. The problem is that you can't MAKE someone be passionate about something; you can't MAKE them want to collect stuff. Collecting overall is experiencing quite a downturn...it's just not "instant" enough for many in the younger generation. I don't know how old you are Westen, but to me, YOU are more representative of the demographics that this hobby needs to target. You're most likely established in your career, home-owner, family, got some free time & maybe some extra cash to play around with. I started when I was 40 or so & in that same situation...probably about the same age that many started collecting these casino chips. So the question is, how do we present this hobby in such a way that it will stir someone's imagination or desire & passion to want to join & then participate? And where do we present it? Maybe the club should look into a company that could help provide the BoD with new insight, new ideas, new avenues to explore. With a cost of $5K-$7K, maybe that is worth the risk. You mentioned an expanded BoD with 20 or so board members. How are these board members chosen? Are they elected or appointed? If they are to be elected, do they run unopposed or do we need to assemble a field or 30 candidates so they don't run unopposed? If the club has a few thousand ACTIVE members, it could work well. While the 's membership may be around 1300-1400, only a few hundred are ACTIVE members -- the others just have memberships that are active (not expired). I don't have an answer, but I appreciate the ideas & discussion, Westen.

Steve Bedo

Steve Bedo