[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 79


Visit Archie Black's Atlantic City Room Key Pages

This is my 61st in a series of posts related to available online resources.

Over the next few weeks I will be focusing on a different resource site each day. Each of these sites has invaluable information to make your collecting experience all it can be.

I have discussed Archie's Atlantic City site in a previous Tip, but I wanted to point attention to a new feature that has just been added. Archie has added scans of many Room Keys for all the Atlantic City casinos to his web page.
You can quickly navigate between casinos and click on each image to enlarge.
Another great job for a fascinating area of casino Collectables.

http://www.callzia.com/dgHome/ss/ac-rk/index.html

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 # 79

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 80


Visit these great translation sites for foreign languages:

This is my 62nd in a series of posts related to available online resources.

Over the next few weeks I will be focusing on a different resource site each day. Each of these sites has invaluable information to make your collecting experience all it can be.

While these sites are not specifically collectable resource sites you would be amazed at how helpful they really are. How many times have you tried to figure out the printing on a chip or token that is in a language you don’t speak?

Using one of these 2 great translation sites you can now find out exactly what those words are. Another great use for these translators is for collectors of foreign chips like myself.

Have you ever been on Ebay France or Ebay Germany before and wish you spoke that language so you can understand the auction listings as well as communicate with the sellers? Just type in your email into one of these translators and you can communicate easily with the sellers even if they don’t speak a word of English.

Once you start using these tools, you will be amazed how handy they are.
Babel Fish by Alta Vista

http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr

Free Translation by SDL

http://www.freetranslation.com/


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 # 80

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 81


Visit the History of the Las Vegas Strip
This is my 63rd in a series of posts related to available online resources.

Over the next few weeks I will be focusing on a different resource site each day. Each of these sites has invaluable information to make your collecting experience all it can be.


This is another site that is not specifically Chip or Token related but it sure is good reading if your researching Vegas Casinos. This incredible site walks you chronologically through the history of the Strip from its very beginning in 1941 to what we know and love as Vegas today.

Get ready to spend LOTS of time on this site as once you get caught up in reading the lengthily stories you will be hooked for good. If you love the Vegas and the history behind the making of "Sin City" you will absolutely love this site.

www.lvstriphistory.com

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 # 81

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 82


Visit XE's Currency Converter Site

This is my 64th in a series of posts related to available online resources.

Over the next few weeks I will be focusing on a different resource site each day. Each of these sites has invaluable information to make your collecting experience all it can be.

While those who don’t collect foreign chips and tokens wont find this site as useful as others, this is a fantastic resource for those who do collect foreign material. Want to know the actual face value on a chip with 100 Hong Kong Dollars ? Here is your answer.

Many times I hear comments about the face value of a foreign chip in a strange currency. By using this site you can always find out the current face value of that chip or token.

Keep in mind that these are real time values so that if your looking at a 20 year old chip these rates might not apply.

http://www.xe.com/

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 # 82

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 83


Uploading pictures to the Chip Board

Well that was quite a run of online resources that I had going there for a while. I wanted to thank all those who helped by reminding me of sites that I had forgotten about or simply was not aware of. What started to be a 2 or 3 week listing of online resources, turned into nearly 10 weeks worth.

Today's topic deals with a question I have heard over and over on The Chip Board" which is "How do I upload Pictures" ?

The process is fairly simple and I will walk you thru it step by step.
1) Make sure the Picture File is saved on your computer and you know where it is

2) Click on the File Upload link at the top of the main page on The Chip Board
3) Enter in your name and email address

4) Click the browse button to search for photos on your computer or external disc.

5) Select the file you want

6) Click on the "Submit" button

7) If the file is uploaded correctly you should get a message that says "Success" with your photo shown

Go down towards the bottom and highlight the entire link shown as "File URL"

9) Right click your mouse and select "Copy"

10) Select the Back Button to go back to the File upload page

11) Select the Back Button again to go back to the main chipboard page

12) Type your post as you normally Do

13) On the bottom of the post in the block entitled "Optional Image URL" right click your mouse and select "Paste"

14) Select "Preview" and with any luck your picture will be there ready to view

Keep in mind that the Chip Board file upload only allows files up to a certain size. If your picture is really big, it must be modified to a smaller size before you can upload it.

I actually like to use my own server when showing larger pictures as there is no size limit. Users of AOL like myself can use the My FTP space to upload and save their pictures and then use the URL link to like to the AOL site.

All the instructions sound hard, but believe me, once you do it, it will seem so simple you will wonder why you never used it before.

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 OIf The Day - Tip # 83

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 84


Answering Questions and Helping Others

This tip is actually pointed more towards the advanced collectors than the Newbie's.

I see an awful lot of posts from new posters looking for advice and help with chips that they have recently come into possession of or items that they want more information on.

New posters need to be treated with a special respect. After all they are not familiar with the chip board etiquette and some of them are not familiar with chippers or what we offer at all.

Being a long time chipboard poster myself I too have seen the list of people who come here under false pretenses to hype and sell chips. A lot of us old timers are so used to those people that we tend to be on defense when we see new posters and many times think the worst without even knowing all the facts.

As representatives of the as well as other chippers in general it is our responsibility to make these new posters feel welcome to our community.

Everyone who has been a chipper knows how we can band together as a group and help one another overcome any obstacle. I have often commented on how as a whole the chipping community is beyond reproach when it comes to helping one another and sharing information.

Lets show these Newbie's what chipping is really all about and provide them with as much support and help as we possibly can. I have a list of chippers a mile long that have helped me get to where I am in the hobby today. The old saying mentions "What goes around, comes around" so lets do our best to help the new chippers know what it truly means to be one of us…. A Chipper.

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 # 84

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 85


Make use of the Club Library

One of the greatest advantages to being a club member, yet one of the most under used is the Club Library.

Did you know that the club maintains a library of most all the collectable books that anyone would ever need? Better yet, did you know that these books and resources are available to any CC&GTCC member free of charge?

At the library you can not only find just about any guide book you need but also Auction Catalogs, back issues of the club magazine, ANA materials, Videos and a whole lot more.

Even shipping to you is free and all we ask is that you pay return postage.
If that in itself is not incentive enough to join the I don’t know what is…………
Here is a link to the Library main page:

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

Here is a link to the inventory:

http://www.ccgtcc.com/library.pdf


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 # 85

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 86


Make use of the Club "Ask An Expert" Program

Another severely underutilized program that is sponsored by the is the "Ask An Expert" Program.
This program is linked to from the site at the following link:


http://www.ccgtcc.com/education/ask_the_expert.pdf

On that site you will find a list of people considered experts in their particular collecting field that have all agreed to help fellow collectors with information relating to those topics. On the site you will find just about every subject covered including collectables of all types and sizes with many also specializing in regional collectables.

Emails are hot linked from the site so you can easily ask the "Experts" whatever you need to know.

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 # 86

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 87


Make use of the Club Mentor Program

While still on the same subject of severely underutilized club resources, lets talk for a minute about the club Mentor program.

This program was developed with the newer collectors in mind and allows each person who signs up to be assigned a mentor who is a seasoned collector interested in collecting the same things as he or she is.

This is a fantastic way for the new collector to learn all there is about collecting, resources, the people, special tools and tips and everything else there is about what they are most interested in.

Rather than quote specifically from the program literature just take a look at the link below as it will tell you everything you need to know about the program and how it works.

http://www.ccgtcc.com/education/mentor.pdf

Be sure to take full advantage of the fantastic club program as its just one more reason to become a member.

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 # 87

[Gaming Ore]

Newbie Tip Of The Day - Tip # 88


Respect Other People Collections

Lots of people in this hobby collect lost of different things.

I have seen collections of Sugar Packets, Keno Cards, Silverware and China, and even Toilet Seats… yea that’s right I said Gaming Related Toilet Seats (You will have to talk with Skip about that one).

The one thing that all these collections have in common is that the people collecting them love their collection and have fun putting it together. There are lots of things that people collect that I haven't the slightest interest in. A good example of this is that many people collect commemorative chips. While I wouldn’t have any interest in them, some people specialize in only commemoratives and for that that’s what collection is about.

More advanced collectors (especially those with a larger bankroll) need to be cautious not to downplay anyone else's collection. All of us started somewhere and I am sure a lot of us collected things in the past that we would never even consider collecting now. Just because someone collects something that you don’t, their collection should mean no less.

If an item is important enough for someone to add to their collection and brings them joy, it servers its purpose and collections no matter how small or obscure should never be considered insignificant.
There is one bond we all share no matter what our collections look like…… we are all collectors……

From the most advanced to the person who is just starting out we share this common goal and we need to remember that.


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 # 88