I can verify that Janice O'Neal sold those Flamingo chips back in 1990; because I am one of those who purchased one she offered a chip to at $60 .... and I was grateful to her that she did. Chips back in 1990 did not trade for the inflated values they do today ... simply because there were not the number of known collectors that the hobby has grown to today. There is much more competition now. In addition, the simple truth is there was NO SUCH THING AS TCR (THE CHIP RACK) BACK IN 1990!

Pete; Yesterday was then ... today is now. I can recall back in 1980 when silver was $50 per ounce ... gold approached $1000 per ounce ... and folks were clamoring to purchase same. Today, I think that silver is under $6 per ounce... and I have not followed gold, but it's substantially well off it's previous highs. Bruce Landau will tell you stories about when he used to trade chips by measuring the height of the stacks ... with no consideration of value or denomination. (Example; Bruce's 43 chips for your 43 chips). Those days are gone forever. We're now embarking on the individual grading/slabbing era and we argue over a minor rim nick .... or some of us examine our chips under powerful lighted magnifying glasses for microscopic imperfections ... while prices keep escalating as folks seek out perfection.

It's always nice to look back in hindsight, but I don't believe that Janice erred back in 1990. I recall when I purchased Bill Borland's entire Atlantic City chip inventory when he sold me Playboy $2.50 olive bunny chips for $8 each ... and I re-sold them to my small circle of chip collecting friends for around $15 each. Today those same chips routinely bring four-figures. That's the way things were done back then. Most of Janice's Flamingo chip sales were favors to HOBBY friends that turned out to be very valuable aquisitions and had nothing to do with her business acumen.

I'm proud to consider Janice as one of my friends.