I am the seller of the checks in question.

First of all, I clearly stated that I am not selling these things as "collectibles," I don't know if they have any "collectible" value and frankly I don't care.

Secondly, "face value" simply means the value printed on the face. Those who would wish to purchase this set for a private club, for home poker games or for casino night parties, etc. might wish to know how much the numbers printed on their face all add up to. The fact that they can't be cashed in anywhere doesn't mean there isn't a face value printed on them. Checks from closed or illegal casinos have a face value printed on them, and they can't be cashed in either.

Thirdly, the reason this is a "private auction" is because I was told that there are a lot of self-appointed "chip police" out there who have nothing better to do with their lives than judge everyone who tries to buy or sell a chip anywhere in the world. Certainly nobody on this list would be pathetic enough to fall into that category, but because there are a few people with no lives who could conceivably send e-mail expressing "expert" opinions on the matter to potential buyers, I felt it best to stop such losers in their tracks.

Afterall, those who seriously collect any item--checks and chips included--would be smart enough to understand that if it's of value they should bid on it, and if it's not, they shouldn't. Just because one wouldn't bid on an item for whatever reason doesn't mean that they have a right to tell others that they shouldn't bid on it either. A "private auction" prevents such know-it-alls from making unfounded accusations, which is a violation of eBay rules anyway.

I would appreciate it if any further discussion on this be directed directly to me, as I would be happy to discuss anything about this auction with any reasonable, intelligent person.

Thank you.