[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip of the Day #9 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Look Into Joining a Local Club


With the growth of Casino Collecting there has become many local clubs pop up across the US.

Many of these clubs have monthly or quarterly meetings that are well attended by others in your area that share your same interests. A lot can be learned from local clubs as can be seen in my local club in Houston. The Greater Houston chapter meets monthly and has approximately 50 current members (Although admittedly it is difficult to get more than a dozen at a time to attend a meeting). Most of the members of our club specialize in Illegal Galveston and Texas chips and memorabilia as is not surprising seeing where we are located.

I personally have never collected Galveston chips and prior to joining the club never even thought about this area. However I have gained a lot of knowledge about these chips that I never would have gained has I not been associated with the Houston Club.

I believe you can find similarities within many of the local clubs.
Now not all members in these clubs are CC&GTCC members, and in fact you don’t even have to be a member to attend our monthly meetings. At these meetings we talk, trade and show Chips Tokens and general casino and gambling memorabilia.
There are currently 11 specialized clubs located all over the US listed on the CC&GTCC Webpage at the following link, although I am sure there are even more unlisted ones.

http://www.ccgtcc.com/localclubs.html


Take a look and see if there is one near where you live. Then attend a meeting and make some new friends, you will be happy you did.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.

Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip of the Day - Tip # 9

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip of the Day # 10

Do Onto Others !!!!!

You have heard the old saying before, but it applies to our hobby more than you might think !!!!

Although there are probably many thousands of casino Chip & Token collectors worldwide and nearly 4,000 currently in the National club, this is still considered a small group of folks.

We are a tightly knit community and look out for one another better than any other group of collectors that I have ever been associated with.

The fact is, If you screw a Chip or Token collector, you better watch out for the repercussions as they will be sure to follow. In this hobby more than any other it is best to adopt a policy of doing onto others as you would expect them to do onto you. Most collectors and dealers have been friends with each other for some time and when a deal goes bad, word travels fast.

Many people see this first hand on the Chipboard [thechipboard.com] as when one of our friends is attacked, numerous people come forward to their side. The worst thing you can possibly do for your career in Chip & Token collecting is cheat someone on a deal. Our membership remembers those who thrive on bad business practices and are more than happy to let everyone else know.

On the flip side, if you treat people fair word of that will get around also. In this business, your actions speak louder than words and if you treat people right, you will go far. However tread them poorly and you will have a hard time finding others that will help you with your collection.
Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.

Happy chipping to all
Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip of the Day - Tip # 10

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip of the Day # 11


Review the Club Code of Ethics.

Related to Tip of the day #10 (Do Unto Others), this is a very important tip and one reason you will find what you do within our organization. CC&GTCC members are bound by the "Club Code of Ethics" as listed at this link:

http://www.ccgtcc.com/code_of_ethics.html

All members should take the time to review these codes and understand their meaning as they are all intended to further the hobby and the future of chip & token collecting.

Of particular interest to me were items #7, #9 and #10 which deal with selling and trading chips honestly and protect others from being taken advantage of. This is one reason I feel so strongly about buying and trading chips with Club members over Non-Members.

Not that non members are untrustworthy, but that when someone is a member they should be expected to uphold the ethics that they have agreed to in their membership.

Now some will argue that not everyone follows these rules. However I believe that there should be no exceptions. Anyone that does not follow these rules should be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, PERIOD.
It is my belief that all rules found within the Code Of Ethics benefit the Club, Its members and the hobby as a whole.

Make sure you understand them and follow them to the best of your ability as those who do will get much more enjoyment out of this hobby.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.
Happy chipping to all

Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip of the Day - Tip #11

[TenPercenter]

Jim, why'd you graveyard this? This was a fantastic idea!

(maybe make it "Tip of the Week instead "of the Day" so as not to run into missed days?)

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip of the Day # 12


It is the Sellers or Traders responsibility to insure delivery when mailing packages.

The next few days I will be talking about something most of us are involved with, Mailing Chips & Tokens.

Every once in a while something you mail out never reaches its intended recipient. There are some varying opinions among collectors as to who's responsibility it is to insure delivery.

Some will argue that if they have proof of mailing from the post office that they should be relieved of any responsibility. It is my opinion though that the sender is almost always responsible to make sure that the package arrives with very few exceptions. From what I have heard from others by email and on TheChipBoard this has become the common feeling among "Chippers".

Unless you sell something to someone who specifically requests that it not be insured, it is my belief that the burden of delivery resides with the sender. What this means is that if you mail out chips or tokens to someone thru a trade or sale, and that package never makes it, it is your responsibility to either offer a refund, or replace the chips.

Now while this doesn’t happen very often, you can be sure that it will eventually happen to you, especially if you mail a lot of stuff. I have personally mailed over 1,000 packages through out the world and have only had a few packages come up missing.

So how can a seller or trader protect himself ? There are a few things you can do.

1) Always insure valuable packages. While I don’t usually spring for insurance on cheaper replaceable items, I will always properly insure packages valued at over $100.

2) Try and maker sure you know your trading partner or at least that he or she has a decent reputation. If you watch the Chip Board, those who have problems with continuously loosing chips in the mail are often called out as risks.

3) When selling chips (especially expensive ones), always require that the buyer pay for insurance, unless it is already covered in the price or the purchaser specifically declines it. Thus way you are protected as you did all you could to make sure they were covered.

Much like the Tip #11 from yesterday, if you Do Unto Others like you would expect them to do onto you, you will go far in this hobby. Its is much better to replace a chip and keep a trading partner for life than it is to do nothing.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.
Happy chipping to all,

Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 12

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip of the Day # 13


Package Your Chips & Tokens for Mailing Well.

Today's tip is related to yesterdays as it also deals with mailing packages.

If you plan on building your Chip and Token collection you can be sure that you will be both sending and receiving a LOT of packages in the coming years. There is nothing worse that anxiously awaiting that special item for your collection only to find it arrived damaged or even worse, you received a package without contents.

Believe me, it has happened to me before and sometimes no matter what you do, there is no way to prevent to Postal monster from devouring your chips…….

So, what can we do to make sure this happens as little as possible ???

Take extra care in packing your mailings.

There are varying opinions on what is the best way to mail Chips & Tokens and if you have been collecting for a while you have probably seen your chips arrive in a variety of packaging. The most common and well accepted form of packaging is the Kraft Bubble Envelope. These can usually be found relatively cheap at your local Sams club or even cheaper searching EBay or from a distributor.

One of the forms that I use is that I reuse bubble mailers that are sent to me by cutting them up and packing the chip inside the bubble portion before placing it inside a business envelope. I always take the edges of the envelope for added support.

Many people like to take the chip to the inside of the bubble envelopes and that prevents it from sliding around and possible breaking thru the edge.

There are also specialty packing materials like Safe-T-Mail which is a cardboard product that has an adhesive center and is cut to fit inside either a regular or business envelope. These seem to work great but are more expensive than bubble mailers.

With all these options to use there is just no excuse for sending a chip inside a plain white envelop without any protection. That is probably the worst thing you can do as many chips have been lost in the mail that way.
If you are purchasing something from someone that is not a chipper, it is OK to suggest that they use proper packaging. Many non chippers just don’t know how damaging sending a chip thru the mail can be without padding.

Whatever method you choose to use, the better you protect the item, the better chance it will reach its intended recipient in the same condition you sent it.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.
Happy chipping to all,

Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 13

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip of the Day # 14


Make Lots Of Friends

I have been thinking about when to post this and I think now is the appropriate time.

There are fewer things more important in the hobby of Chipping than making friends. Not only is it great to have someone to talk about your favorite hobby with but friends are people you can share with, you can count on for a helping hand, they can cheer you up when your down, they can help you find that special chip you have been looking for forever and they can ohh and ahhh over your latest finds.

There are few things that I enjoy more than finding a surprise package on my doorstep containing chips that I had no idea were headed my way from a friend who knows I collect samples or foreign chips.

Now I see a lot of bickering going on in the past few years on the Chip Board. Many times it comes from new posters that aren't quite familiar with the ways of the old timers and veterans of the board. A lot of times they just don’t understand the reasoning's behind why things are done they way they are and the history behind that.

I am not saying that change is bad, I am just saying that before a new poster to the chipboard jumps in and starts making waves, at least take a few minutes to know the people. Yes, some people are brash and don’t understand why they should conform to the ways of others. I am not asking people to do that, I am just saying before you burn too many bridges, make sure you have an escape route.

My father used to use a phrase that I often think of. He used to say you can catch more bees with honey than you can with vinegar.
What I mean by that is that you don’t have to become a robot and do what others think is right and it is fantastic to come up with new ideas and different thoughts on subjects. However if you change your approach a little more to be less antagonistic, you might find your comments better accepted.

I know that some people will take my comments above the wrong way and I apologize for that. What I am trying to get across is the fact that you don’t need to be everyone's best friend, but the less people in this hobby that dislike you the more enjoyable the hobby will be for you.

There is no need to change who you are, just how you handle the situations………

Now how is that for a depressing Tip of The Day ????

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.
Happy chipping to all,

Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 14

[Gaming Ore]

Tip Of the Day #15 -


Start a Database of your Collection Early

This is a great tip that I am guilty of not following myself. Many people keep very good track of their collections.

There are several Databases managers out there that do an excellent job of tracking chips and can be used as a checklist to make sure you know what chips your missing. The one I am most familiar with and seems to be one of the most popular is Terry Shaffer's "Collectors Assistant".
Although I don’t use the program myself I hear nothing but rave reviews about this tracking system and it can be found in any of Terry's posts or at the following link http://www.happychipper.com/

There are a lot of other tracking programs out there on the market as well.

I have also seen many other methods of keeping track of your collection. Some people who collect just Nevada chips a guide book like the Chip rack as a checklist and mark on it what chips they have. The same can be code with guide books on Florida Chips, California Chips, Illegal Chips, Tokens, Slotcards or just about anything else that has a book published.

I have also seen some pretty ingenious ways that people keep track of their collections at the convention as I have seen several people bring their laptop computers with them where they have scans of everything they own. Others use color copies made into books. I have even seen several collections on ipods and even iphones though I can't even imagine how much work it took to get everything scanned in to them……

Bottom line is, the better you can track your collection, the better chance you have of not coming home from the convention with stacks of chips you find out you already own. This is something that seems to happen to me every year.

At least I keep my traders fully stocked with all those chips I thought I didn’t have !!!!!!!!!!

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.
Happy chipping to all,

Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip of the Day - Tip # 15

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of the Day #16 -


Shop Around for your purchases

One of the first things I noticed at the very first convention I attended in Vegas was that many dealers had the same chips on their tables with vastly different prices. A chip may be priced at one dealers table for $50 while just a few tables down would be priced at $10.

The same can be said for Ebay. I consistently see the same chip or token bringing huge price swings on any given day. I am sure we have all seen a chip go unsold at a "Buy It Now" price of $25 when that exact same chip just sold in a highly competitive bidding war for double that.

There are many reasons for this disparity in prices among sellers and here are a few :

1) The Price Guides are not meant to set definitive prices. In fact many of the chips are priced differently within the different Books. Some e people feel that the prices in the book are too low because the books are a few years old. Others feel that there are now more known than when the books came out so the chips should be prices less.

2) Conditions vary among the chips. Some people place a HUGE value on condition while to others its not as important. One dealer might discount a chip a few dollars because of a small rim nick while another might be willing to cut the price in half.

3) One of the most important factors in determining price (If not the most important) is what does that dealer have into the cost themselves. If I personally paid $100 for a chip it would be difficult for me to part with it for less than that. Another person with that same chip may have only paid $50 for it and therefore a price of $75 represents a 50% profit, while to me that would have been taking a loss.

So the lesson here is don’t buy the first thing you see at a convention. Take your time to shop the tables and find your best deals.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.
Happy chipping to all,

Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 16

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of the Day #17 -


Don’t be afraid to make an offer

Directly related to my Tip Of The Day # 16, this is another tip that works best at conventions.

For me, there are very few chips where I have a fixed price point set. I am negotiable on just about everything whether it be a trade or an outright sale. One of the tips I employ all the time at chip shows is that if I see something I want but feel that it is overpriced I make an offer. More often that not, if your offer is a reasonable one it will be accepted and both you and the seller will be happy.

Now please don’t take this as an invitation to make a deal on everything you purchase as there are some dealers like Saturn salesman who already price their chips and tokens as low as possible and just cant work anything better.

Another reason for not being able to make a deal is some dealers are selling consignment chips where they are obligated by the consigners to sell for the requested price and no less.

While it is perfectly alright to make an offer on anything, please have the courtesy to restrict this offering to making only reasonable offers. If you see someone selling an item priced at $100 is it simply unreasonable to offer them $20 for it.

Not only will you most likely not be able to purchase something with an unreasonable offer, you will generate ill will with that person which is definitely something you don’t want to happen.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more Tips of the day coming tomorrow.
Happy chipping to all,

Doug "Cigarman" Smith
Proud member of the CC&GTCC LM-3209-147

Link to original post: Extra! Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 17