i feel like auctions like ebay have made collecting to easy and not as fun? as someone on here stated i count on other people to win the strikes for me so i can buy them on auction from them? any monkey can hit a button and buy a strike? the search to hunt down what you are collection should be 1/2 or more of the fun? to wait for someone else to win your strike so you can buy it from them is not much different than going to k mart and buying something? if you have the money you can buy a collection off ebay of anything? where is the fun? the strikes you play for to win are the ones that should mean something to you,not the ones you click a button to win and have someone put it in your mailbox for you? ebay has made collectors lazy! and that is the bottom line like it or not!! silver strike collection is a rich man's hobby! it takes a little effort to buy a plane ticket to vegas and play the machines to add to your collection! makeing the trip is half the fun! its a much easier hobby for the collectors that live in vegas,or near by! that is why most collectors that live far away from vegas are not collectors for a long time! (enless they have a endless supply of money like some people do) ebay is great for buying items cheeper than in a store jewelry,shoes,books,clothes etc.. so the next time you buy that strike off ebay think to your self how much fun and effort that really took to put that strike in your collection? takes very little work or effort to collect anything when you buy it from ebay? next time you want a strike try winning it, goining to coin shows,fle markets, or stoping at over 100 pawn shops driveing out to vegas to see what you can find? or you can just sit in front of your computer and click a little button and say wow that sure took alot of effert to add that strike to my collection? the amount of strikes you have in your collection means very little, but the stories behind how you got them is what collecting is all about!! tradeing with other collectors and makeing new friends is one of the greatest things about this hobby!! remember if you have enough money you can buy a strike collection in a few days on ebay? but is that really what collecting is all about!