Larry said; "One could easily argue Limited Editions opened the door for slabbing companies to take interest in "our" hobby."

But that is not the case Larry.... it was a COIN DEALER (Sahara Coins) who invited the slabbbing company to come take a look at slabbing chips.

In fact, Sahara Coins slabbed some of the very best chips in his "million dollar" inventory and tried to peddle them at the club's 2001 convention. Henry Garrett (another coin/chip dealer) thought that he would get onto the ground floor of what surely would be the next logical step and he had many of his chips slabbed to peddle.

Well, both of these firms, PLUS the slabbing company itself, were thwarted by a vigilant core of anti-slabbers who were well familiar with what happened in the coin hobby. Chip collectors in general for the most part boycotted Sahara Coins and Henry's tables. Sahara did not return to the convention the following year, and the slabbing company didn't return the following year. The only remaining dealer offering slabbed chips at our 2003 convention, as far as I know, is Henry Garrett.

Through the Slab Free Chapter's continuing education of collectors around the country at various regional chips shows and the setting up of the SlabFree.com website and taking ads in the club's magazine, over 420 club members to date have signed a separate pledge activity undertaken by a few individuals (not Slab Free) stating that they will not do business with anyone engaged in slabbing of chips.

THAT dedicated on-going activity ... is what has kept the slabbers at bay to present in the chip hobby.