Yesterday's postings of Ricky's and James' rare chips got me looking at my own collection sitting there on it's bookshelf. I kinda got that sinking feeling that my own collection didn't have any nice rarities, and would never really amount to much. I then followed James' link to and looked at how the chips were listed highest 1st, and I really got depressed. Wow, I'll never have any of those I thought to myself. It was a truly depressing feeling thinking that I've been collecting for all these past few years, and what do I have to show for it.

I stayed on and ran some of my favorite searches. I ran searches on casinos I havn't looked at in a while. Did some combo searches etc. Next thing I knew I had added yet another 10-15 items to my watch list. That felt a little better, I like all the chips I chose to watch.

I pulled a couple of binders off the shelf, and started to look through them. Hey, here's a bunch of dollar chips I got on my very 1st trip to Vegas. I went to the cages at every casino I visited and bought 10 one dollar chips. I explained I was a collector, and some cage folk even went into the back and looked for nice one's for me. Those are cool. My 1st fractional, a 25¢ Mint that started my Fractional obsession! Wow, I remember it took me a while to finally win that one on ! Pretty neat. The first casino I completed, both 1st and 2nd editions of Peoples Choice. I remember getting the last chip I needed...The bidding on was angry that night my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup at a diner (hehe, I stole that line from Seinfeld). But seriously I think I did the Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy chip dance when I won it! Here's my 1st Illegal. There the first chip set I bought from a chipboarder, a set once belonging to Daryl F. Zanuck that I got from John Z. My 1st trade chip, the chips I won in the club auctions and bought at my 1st convention...

Hmmm...I guess my little collection ain't so bad after all. It isn't about who has the nicest stuff or how many chips you can get that have high values attached. It's about collecting what you like, and what you can afford. At least for me it is anyway. Maybe someday I'll get a nice high end Fractional, but until then, I can still watch 'em.

Yeah, I kinda like my little collection.

==Mike==
R-5986