I see it just as you do. Some rat takes a $1 common chip in excellent condition, slabs it, then pushes it off as The Mona Lisa for extra bucks to some poor newbie. No way.

I do, however, feel that in order for the hobby to grow, sooner or later some method to authenticate high-end chips MUST be put in place. I watch chip sales closely. If you focus on the high-end stuff,like vintage Vegas, the demand is THERE, even for chips in the scarce range. As we say in these parts FUHHHHGETABOUTIT when it comes to the truly rare colectible chip. $5,000 for a chip dosen't drop the 'ole jaw anymore.

I think it is naive to think that everyone who sells a chip is a square dealer. There are alot of sharks out there. Sooner or later, someone is going to get burnt in a big way, and when the story gets out, the hobby will suffer. Then the opportunists will have an audience.

I wish there was an easy resolution to the issue. There is not. I think we need to be pro-active here though, while we still have the option.