a few of your points, HOWEVER, I am not speaking for Jim Munding. [All my comments will be within brackets.]

"Jim, since you are organizing this proposed chapter, I have a few questions that possibly you can answer. Some were asked previously but are way down on the board so I though I might just reiterate them once again. As was stated down the line, most people are afraid to come forward with their questions and are just keeping quite for their own reasons. [Without fear of retribution or hostility, anyone may certainly pose any question to me (as the OLCD) for re-posting or re-phrasing as a "a member asks.....]

Believe it or not, I have yet to take a firm position one way or the other as yet so please don’t take these questions as a personal negative reaction.

1. If we do have a chapter, can people not belonging to the new club attend the annual trade session at the convention as we were able to do in this last convention. If one must be a member, then I believe we are excluding many people who would otherwise like to participate in the cards/key trading sessions. And if one doesn’t have to be a member, then why should one become one.

[Wow Paul, what a question, but very simple to answer. The usage of Club (CC&GTCC) coordinated space at the Convention (which is actually paid for by the entire membership) is available for Club members. This then stipulates that everyone at the trade sessions be CC&GTCC members. Which is no change from what happened this Convention, unless you are telling us that PACK and/or MSOCK members, who are not ALSO CC&GTCC members were at the trade session(s).]

During this last convention, I attended trading sessions all day Wednesday, and every morning and evening (except Thursday evening) from Thursday through Saturday. Please tell me what belonging to the new chapter is going to be able to do for me that we can’t do now.

[With respect to attending these same trade sessions next year, nothing. With respect to future Club/Chapter benefits, perhaps more, but undefined at this time.]

I am not limiting this questioning just for cards and keys. Although I am not a silver strike collector, I can’t see the reason for that chapter either.

[The Board is currently working to better the Club/Chapter relationship and what it means to both organizations. I do not have specific insight to this but I do know that it is in development and was a subject of the Board/Chapter Presidents Meeting during the Convention. With as many Chapters that the Club has, I can't imagine that Chapterhood is such a bad thing.]

But in any case, we are miles ahead of the silver strikers.

[I don't know if you are speaking in-jest on this Paul, but did you know....?]

We have our own Bulletin Board thanx to Mike [so does the Silver Striker's Chapter, and it allows all the emoticons and file-upload space and is linked from theChipBoard.]; we have our own newsletter thanx to Pat [so does the Silver Striker's Chapter with scans of new strikes, far sale space and other info]; we have our own price guide books thanx to both you and Pat and your co-authors [I think the Striker's have about 5 such guides] and we have our combined trading sessions at the convention thanx to the board of directors ( and as Bob or someone else said, for less than $10.00 we could have our own suite for trading if necessary. [The Silver Striker's Chapter have there own space on an auction site, they have an auction during the Convention, they have managed to get some casinos to issue strikes with Chapter icons and several other activities that I may have over looked, and I have difficulty understanding the "miles ahead" comment, unless it was tongue-in-cheek.]

Different chapters of the CC>CC are necessary so that area groups can get together during the rest of the year to trade, buy and sell. I know that both the Southern California and Northern California chapters welcome us slot card people as I suppose do other chapters.

[Geographic Chapters are not the Chapters that the Club supports. The Silver Striker's have already been mentioned, but what of the Illegal's Chapter. I foresee Chaptership formation based on subject matter just as easily as being based on geographic location. I suspect that we will soon see the formation of an Ashtray/Matches Chapter, and why not?]

If we didn’t have such a thing as the CC>CC, then I definitely see a need for a slot club, but since we do have the CC>CC, I do not yet see any additional benefit.

[Not sure I understand this statement, as such would it also apply to PACK and MSOCK?]

2. Why to [sic] we need by-laws or officers. This is assuming such would be the case if a chapter was established. Most of us know each other on a personal basis by this time and I don’t remember any confrontation occurring that needed a intermediary. On the large part, most of the cards and keys sell for a modest amount and I don’t believe anyone ever really got hurt by a bad transaction.

[This statement appears to assume that card collector interest will remain around 166 people, I hope not. What is true in the past, may not be in the future, and to suggest that no one will be hurt in the future based on past events is not very forward looking. What happens when card collectors are in the four-digit range?]

3. What will the dues be used for? If there is a specific purpose for them, then let us know about it.

[Obviously Jim Munding's response here, but I imagine it may have something to do with maintaining membership records, a newsletter, and perhaps funding Chapter interests. Perhaps a display at the Club building, perhaps membership applications, ads in other publications and other such actions.]

I suppose I should ask Nate why he approached you and Pat during the convention and asked that you set up a special chapter.

[Is your question why them, or why start a Chapter? If it is why them, then yes, Nate would be a good place to ask the question. However, if it were me wanting to ask the question, I would go where the action was. Pat Lamb and Jim Munding are like candidates. If the question is why a Chapter, then I suggest that one of the goals of the CC&GTCC is to look for ways to increase membership. Card/key collecting is a hot new area, why not give them a home and make them feel welcome within the context of the CC&GTCC, i.e., a Chaptership?]

Do you know the reason and if so, can you tell us?
I hope the Board is not considering disallowing slot cards to be traded in the future.

[Sure seems to be quite a stretch Paul, not sure where that is coming from.]

I saw many dealers selling cards at the convention and that certainly would curtail sales if that was the case. Saturday nights trading session was evenly split between Silver strike collectors, card collectors and chip collectors. [See, everyone is welcome providing they are a member of the CC&GTCC.]

It’s almost midnight and I’m getting tired and even though I have more questions, I must finish for the night as this old man is getting tired. Bottom line is, that if a chapter is to be formed, I will join it, but at the moment I can’t see the reason or the benefit of it. Please enlighten me and the rest of the silent persons so that if we are going to join, I can start saving up for the dues." [$10.00 Paul, I think you surpassed saving that with your very first customer so many years ago! ]

It has also been asked about the CC&GTCC membership vs. Chapter membership. To my knowledge, a requirement that all Chapter members also be CC&GTCC members was put aside by the previous Board. Chaptership formation allowed a Chapter to create their own requirement for Chapter members to also be CC&GTCC members when they form. The Slot Club Chapter is being formed with that condition present. A condition without which could easily make any and all of the membership groups associated with casino collectibles collecting all, mutually exclusive entities.

Thank you for your time in reading this reply.

Jim Follis
On-Line Communications Director