Do we really need another thread on this subject? Probably not, but I didn't want what I have to say to be lost among all the other messages, and I don't like to use my administration abilities to add the "Please Read" graphic to a message just so that I can express an opinion.

If our current club officers limited their actions to things that nobody could possibly find fault with, they would not have anything to do. I applaud them for taking this important first step in attempting to create a set of TRULY USEFUL descriptions that we can all use to describe the various conditions of our chips.

I don't think anyone would disagree that the ability to describe a chip with mere words is an absolute necessity. Over the years we have learned to use terms like Crest & Seal, plastic interlocking, hot stamp, etc., to describe the STYLE of our chips to one another. The ability to describe the condition of our chips though has not been as easy. Recent attempts to borrow and apply standards from the coin collecting hobby just won't work. I think most of us agree on that.

What our officers have started here is a good first step. It's not perfect yet, and maybe it won't ever be perfect, but it is a start, and you can't ever finish anything until you get started. In my opinion, here are a few things that need to be done to implement these standards.

1) There should be more than 3 people on the oversight committee. I don't know how many for sure, but there should be a representative from each major aspect of the hobby, poker chips, illegals, Nevada, card rooms, Indians, Crest & Seals, Riverboats, etc. Each of these people will have slightly different ideas that will result in a more perfect solution.

2) I think we should wait a while before we print the descriptions all over everything. What they've come up with so far is a good start, but from the discussions on the board recently, it is obvious that some revisions should be made immediately. What's the hurry? Let the committee work on it a while, share their ideas with the membership via the magazine and the bulletin board periodically throughout the process so that they can get some feedback. Then after a year or so, we can start printing on the membership cards, etc.

Greg