"Why would Borland need someone else to make blanks for him?"

Borland did not make blanks. He had no equipment to make the actual chip. The blanks were made in Maine for Borland to hot stamp.
Any Chip with an inlay was made entirely in Maine with inlay on and shipped to Borland.
The actual $2.50 blank was made in Maine and the seller made the sticker and put it on.