ANTE UP: The Collection of Robert Eisenstadt We welcome you to take part in Ante Up, the auction of the Robert Eisenstadt's incredible collection. The auction takes place on January 30, 2021 at 10:00AM CT. You can visit the auction website by clicking here. You can also view the collection that is up for auction as a PDF. If you have any questions about the auction, please contact Joseph Slabaugh (joeslabaugh@potterauctions.com, 773-472-1442) at Potter & Potter Auctions.

IN MEMORIAM: Robert Eisenstadt 1942 - 2020 On June 5, 2020, Robert Eisenstadt died peacefully at home, in the loving presence of his sister Nancy and his sister's family. He will be dearly missed by all of us who loved and appreciated him. If you would like to leave a story about Robert, write a message, or read what others have written, please click here. He took pride in his collection and loved sharing it with fellow enthusiasts; please have a look and enjoy.

Background:
(1) THE ISSUE -- The current controversy is about whether the individual members of a CC&GTCC chapter MUST also be members of the Club (that is, the national Club).  More to the point, individual chapter members pay dues to the CHAPTER; must they also be required to pay dues to the national Club,or if not, be disallowed from remaining with the Chapter?

(2) THE ARGUMENTS --  Everyone in this controversy says,  (a) he supports the national, and (b) individual chapter members SHOULD join the national.  There are many angles to the arguments, but it basically comes down to this:

 (1) those saying it should be optional for chapter members to join the national, argue that it is better in the long run not to scare away a new collector with a mandatory $20 national dues payment.  Let him just join the chapter (if he so wants), and in time he will appreciate the national and join it too.   In any event, why force anyone to do what he does not want to do?, and

(2)  those saying it should be mandatory for chapter members to join the national, make two main arguments -- (a)  the fairness argument  -- as a full-fledged member of a CC&GTCC CHAPTER, a member who does not pay national dues would still be attaching himself (by word of mouth and advertising of his CC&GTCC CHAPTER membership)  to the prestige/recognition/clout/respect/etc. of a national organization he is not paying to support; and (b)  the financial argument -- as word spreads that  a chapter member need not pay national dues, many new and renewing members will take that course.  They might view the national dues as "charity," and read someone else's chip magazine.  Even if only a small percent of  a chapter does this, it would financially harm the national.  The chapter would enlarge its treasury and  membership with, in effect, cut-rate dues, while the national (the source of the chapter membership, to a large extent) receives less dues than it otherwise would.  The national, hopefully, would continue to grow, but less so than otherwise...........Also, the 'must-join-the-national" rule ($20 national dues) will not scare away any  serious chip collector -- he probably can attend a number of chapter meetings for free as a guest, then can join the chapter for a year before paying any national dues, and then he won't allow the mere cost of two silver strikes ($20, which includes four magazines) to keep him from buying/trading/selling in person with fellow collectors at chapter meetings.

(3) THE DOCUMENTS AND HISTORY --  The Club constitution ( click here to view the constitution ) does not mention anything about chapters and individual chapter members.  It is a short document (good), and in Article 6 it authorizes the Board of Directors to create regulations and Bylaws to carry out the purposes and affairs of the Club........... The Bylaws ( click here to see the Bylaws)  are very detailed respecting the chapters.  The first Bylaws did not mention chapters. Then they  required that individual chapter members also be national members.  Then, after a controversy over that, the Bylaws were changed  to their present stance -- that it is optional for individual chapter members to be dues-paying national members.

(4)  MY POSITION --  I  think it is intolerable and stultifying that a chapter --a creature of the national Club-- can build itself up due to the good 10-plus year work of the national, a national which built up a large vibrant hobby and a respected, large organization.  They start the chapter with the membership roll of the national and the good name of the national.  Then, once started, they accept new and renewed members who do not have to join the national!  Such a chapter (one whose members needn't pay national dues), would be just as useful to the national as if the chapter were an independent club.........Therefore, I support this amendment to the CC&GTCC constitution.  It would need a two-thirds majority to pass.  (Barring that (say, it gets just 60% support), we can support a new Board of Directors who would effectuate it in the Bylaws.)

(5) WHAT IS AMENDED --  I would make it short and sweet.  The current Constitution does not mention chapters at all.  I would have the proposed amendment affect "ARTICLE 5: MEMBERSHIP."   Section 1 there lists four types of Club members -- Charter (first 100 Club members; otherwise, the same as regular members), Regular, Associate (spouse or child of Regular member; doesn't receive a separate magazine) and Life Members.  I would add a 5th type of member -- Chapter Member.  (Notes: I have left out such far-fetched concerns as what to do with life members of the chapter?, what to do with regular chapter individual members who joined the chapter during the "optional-to-join-national" period of the By-laws?, and what to do about chapters that might "get around' the new amendment with permanent, annual-paying "guests" (not members)?  The Board of Directors can grandfather in such concerns, and are surely capable of seeing and routing out any unlikely subterfuges.)

(  click here for Michael Knapp's statement on Chapter Dues Issue. )
 
 

ARTICLE FIVE: MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1

Membership shall consist of five types of members:
A.   Charter Members ..................[leave unchanged]
B.   Regular Members......................[leave unchanged]
C.  Associate Members.......................[leave unchanged}
D.  Life Members......................................[leave unchanged]
E.  Chapter of the Club Members: any group of collectors of casino chips, tokens or other related collectibles may join to form a Chapter of the Club.  The Board of Directors shall provide for the rules and standards required for accepting, regulating, monitoring and revoking Chapter status.

(1)  all members and guests of a Chapter shall be aware of and subject to the Club's Code of Ethics, which the Club has final authority over administering and which the Chapter's will accede to.

(2)   members of a Chapter need not be Club members when they join a Chapter, but they must become Club members within one year of their joining the Chapter.  Furthermore, individual Chapter members who are not Club members at present are given one year after the passage of this amendment to join the Club.