As we explained in the QoD to which you refer (10/15/11), technically chips are the property of the casino that issued them, so in effect you're stealing if you don't cash in your chip(s) before you leave. Like a bank note or a coin, the chip itself has virtually no face value; it is merely a token to represent the value of the money you bought in for, or which the casino owes you, and is ultimately the property of that property.
Of course, it's easy enough to accidentally leave an uncashed chip or two in your pocket and the casino isn't going to lose too much sleep about the cost of replacing a small plastic disc (although the new RFID embedded technology must've upped the per-unit cost somewhat from the old days, we're guessing). The cage is only going to start worrying if it's a high-denomination chip -- as in $500 or more -- that's missing.
As far as the scenario you pose is concerned, although technically what you and your buddy are engaged in is against the rules, who's going to know, unless the chip is old or was part of a short-term promotion that has long been canceled? If the latter's the case, then your friend may discover he's sitting on something collectible that's worth more than the $40 you're offering. Otherwise, if he's not planning on returning to Vegas anytime soon and you are, you're both getting a good deal.
Now, to the much more important matter of Mojo, our office iguana (actually, my office iguana). As you correctly recall, she was indeed found to be heavy with child, or rather egg, some three-plus years ago. This came as a particular surprise, since for seven years we'd been under the misguided impression that she was a boy. Some strange behavior followed by some costly x-rays, however, confirmed that not only was Moj definitely a female, but that she was also carrying somewhere between 30 and 40 eggs.
Unfortunately, the eggs were not properly formed and even if they had been, in the absence of a male iguana to do the necessary fertilization, there wouldn't have been any Mojettes. As it was, an emergency C-section had to be performed, along with a hysterectomy, to ensure that it didn't happen again. That came to some $1,100, thank you very much, possibly making Mojo the most expensive iguana alive. Without the op, the half-formed eggs would have gone septic inside her and she would not have survived to be the beautiful, robust, and at times extremely feisty lizard with whom I have the pleasure (most of the time) of sharing my office. Thanks for asking, by the way -- she does like the attention.
