Jil:

It is my understanding that you would have to declare a value on the chip when sending it in to be graded. You would have to insure your package for the stated amount (just in case it gets lost in the mail).

The slabbing companies charge on a sliding scale depending upon the stated value of the item and how quick you want your item back. Thus, the more expensive an item is, the more it cost to get it slabbed. Also, the quicker you want to get it back the more expensive it is to get it slabbed.

As for value, I can not help you there as I only collect low end chips. I have no idea as to the value of your chip, slabbed or un-slabbed.

The cost to purchase this same chip slabbed or otherwise, again I can not help you out.

Organizations that slab items, for the most part neither purchase nor sell the items that they encase, merely the "service".

What it would grade at - good question. At the coin club I belong to, about once a year we have a little contest. Now remeber, people in this club have been collecting coins for a number of years and all think that they are good "graders". We take a number of slabbed items, cover the grade with maksing tape so that you can not see it, pass around 10 items and ask people to grade them. 9 out of 10 people gett 9 out of 10 grades wrong.

John