Last year was my first year and I too was a little apprehensive....lots of new faces and very unsure of myself. That feeling goes away quickly when you are surrounded by people with the same love and passion for the hobby as you. I would go around to all the different tables asking if anyone had $1 traders. From their I would sit and go thru their books as they went thru mine. I found it easy to find plenty of chips I needed so I would wait and let them go thru mine to see if I had anything they could use. Then as the trade continued if you are dealing with obsoletes and such money or chips can and is used to round off the deal if necessary. I found everyone I traded with to be polite and fair...never taking advantage of the new guy. By the end of the week, I had doubled my collection! When I first started in this hobby I recieved an email from Jill Bitner. It was a welcome to the hobby email with the words of wisdom that were, "the best way to collect is to trade." Have always remembered that as it keeps costs down and a way to meet others in the hobby. See you in two weeks!