Illegal Gambling, The Purple Gang, The Hollywood Club... and more (1 Viewer)

Meathooke

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Inspiration for this thread came directly from @Thomacetti 's PCA thread years ago. Although this will certainly not be anywhere near as informative or interesting. Especially considering the extremely limited documentation for these types of operations…But I’m gonna give it a shot anyway! Haha
-For some this might not be that big of a deal, however, for myself it is quite a big deal.



So, where to start??
From the onset, I have generally attempted to avoid being a singles collector as best as I could, with exception of a handful that I thought were either really neat, or had (in my opinion) a very cool history. The era of prohibition, speakeasy’s and of course the age of the American gangster were certainly wild times. I assume I’m not alone in that I have always found that time period quite fascinating. As such, back when I first started getting interested in chips (early 2008-ish??) the first “single” I ever purchased was, in fact, a Hollywood Club $1.
MY HC.JPG



My (certainly unknowledgeable) thoughts at the time:
Very cool chip mold…414 spots… and history!!!! Oh the history!! Gangsters, liquor, gambling… and better yet…. Very close to home! My family is from a little railroad town about a half hour or so south of Toledo. So, not only American (gangster) history, but Ohio specific to boot! Childishly, I’d often wonder what was going on in that place? Or who’s hands may have actually been betting with that chip?? If chips could talk, surely some interesting stories there.
From that initial purchase, and continuing off and on throughout the years, I had always thought it would be way cool to have a full, playable, set. However, the fact of the matter was, having no idea how many chips actually still existed, I didn’t know if it would even be possible. Not to mention I was not very fond of the idea having to put it together one chip at a time. So it really was put on the back burner for years…. Until now.

An opportunity arose to finally obtain a large quantity of Hollywood Club chips -including many other illegals from that time period/area as well- thanks to @David Spragg !!

This entire lot consisted of about 1400 chips. With around 850 of them being Hollywood’s. Another 400+ from The Pine’s Club (1945) and 200-ish from the Maumee Club (unknown when opened, but closed in 1962). All 3 clubs being tied to various iterations of the Detroit Purple Gang, Licavoli Mob/Toledo Purple Gang/River Gang.
It was truly Christmas in July!!!:love:
lot-boxed.JPG


At this point, I think I’ll just post more details/pics of each individual lot in a separate post as I’m just too excited to share the Hollywood part for now!!
…and it has already taken me the better part of 2 days just to get this far! :wtf: Haha




On to business.

The Hollywood Club opened as a night club in downtown Toledo, Ohio in the early 1930s. With gambling being added soon thereafter. It was owned and operated by Louis “Paddock” Walker, “Chalky Red” Yaranowski, Tony Paul, Ben Aronoff, the Fretti brothers, the Detroit partnership (The Purple Gang), Stanley Barsh, among various others.
**As an aside, Aronoff became 50% owner, and Walker manager, of El Rancho in Las Vegas in the late 50’s. Both Tony Paul and Chalky Red were part of the Purple Gang/Licavoli Mob.
The club was temporarily “closed” multiple times and at some point in late 1941 the original downtown location, at 227 Superior Street, was closed. By February of 1942, a new “$150,000 theater cafe” was opened at 6115 Telegraph Road, on the Ohio/Michigan boarder. Just as with the original location aside from the usual "night club" offerings, betting on horses and table games were also available. Including craps, blackjack, and poker.
GrandOpen1942.JPG

(Re-Grand opening newspaper ad circa 1942)

Finding pictures of the club while it was actually in operation has proven to be extremely difficult. As in, I've yet to find a single photograph! However, these will give you an idea of what it looked like.
Club_airpatrol.JPG

In 1943 the owners of the Hollywood Club donated the use of the building for use as headquarters for Squadron One of the Civil Air Patrol. (Pure speculation but… Can you say trying to avoid “the heat”??? Hahaha) It was eventually taken back by the owners and gambling/partying resumed. Photo from the Toledo Blade


By 1946 the club had been raided at least 4 times...

raid.JPG

After a 1946 raid, detectives look upon an empty horse race board at the Hollywood Club. Photo from the Toledo Blade


and in 1951 the Hollywood Club was padlocked and closed permanently, by court order.

building2.JPG

At some point after closing permanently, it became home to Nash Tool & Die. Eventually, the entire building was demolished and God only knows what is there now.


Enough history lesson already! WE WANT THE CHIPS!!!! I get it... here ya go:

The chips:
Manufactured by BC Wills
The (MD-87) “small key” mold $1, $10 and $25 chips were certainly used at Hollywood whilst it was open…
However, the (MD-89) “Roman” mold non-denominated chips bring some controversy/mystery as to their authenticity. Being that Hollywood was closed in 1951 and the Roman mold was supposedly not available/used until “some time in 1950s”, it certainly doesn’t sound very possible that they were ever actually used there. That said, it turns out that some of the Hollywood chips (which hadn’t been confiscated by the police) were also used at smaller, more obscure Toledo area operations during the 60’s.
**According to Terry Shaffer (author of Illegal Gambling Clubs of Toledo) in a series of meetings between he and Donnie Van Gunten (who was involved with multiple illegal clubs throughout Toledo) Donnie shed some light on the subject of the mysterious Roman mold chips. Van Gunten confirmed that not only did he use the Hollywood chips at multiple other clubs he operated -among them being the 3D Club and Blue Note- but he specifically stated that "Joseph Besase (Toledo Purple Gang) had to personally go to Detroit to pick them up.."
So it seems they are at very least legit “gangster” era chips… In the end, I have always LOVED the Roman mold and they are simply gorgeous chips, so who cares!!! Haha


I thought you said we were getting to the chips?????!!! We are... Right now

Finally, the good part: Pics of the haul… Well, at least The Hollywood's! The others will be later.
Combined total Hollywood Club chips: 879
Quite used, dirty as sin:
107 x $1 white w/black inserts - Small key
184 x $1 white w/red inserts - Sm key
282 x $10 yellow w/red insets - Sm key
"Like new", super clean and sharp:
118 x no $ chocolate? w/red (brighter) inserts - Roman
101 x $1 white w/red inserts - Sm key
25 x $1 white w/black inserts - Sm key
53 x $10 yellow w/red inserts - Sm key
9 x $10 orange w/ 2 blue-green inserts - Sm key
HC-all-group.JPG

HC_1s-dirty.JPG

HC_10s-dirty.JPG

HC-new_top.JPG

HC-new_topANGLE.JPG

HC_newChocBarrel.JPG

HC_new1s10sbarrell.JPG

HC_newCLOSEUP.jpg




So there ya have it!!!

***I’m not much of a “presentation” or “book report” kind of guy, so please forgive the poor writing and any missing/left out information. Hopefully this is wasn’t too long, and boring, of a read!

BTW, if you happen to have more info, I would certainly love to hear it!! -Wouldn't mind any leads to more chips too!!! Haha







Finally, let me end this with a question….

To clean or not to clean??? Give me your opinions… Would it be a travesty to attempt to clean them up? Or should they be left in their incredibly nasty state??
The pics don't truly show just how gross these really are... I cannot tell you how many times I had to wash my hands after this photoshoot... Even had to clean the poker table!!!
HC-newVSold.JPG


Cheers and hope you've enjoyed!!
 
Normally I’m a clean ‘em up guy, but this particular film of filth has me second guessing a little bit. Some hooker appears to have painstaking placed all of the juices into an extraordinarily even layer that adds a certain depth to the chips.
 
Normally I’m a clean ‘em up guy, but this particular film of filth has me second guessing a little bit. Some hooker appears to have painstaking placed all of the juices into an extraordinarily even layer that adds a certain depth to the chips.
Yeah, this is definitely a different kind of juice... Not the usual chunks :sick: It's much more like just dirt/grime/dust built up from literally just sitting (unused) for likely an easy 40-50 years. A big part of me really hates to clean them. Solely because of "history"... But on the other hand, they are pretty musty (as in kinda stinky) and so covered that handling them at all leaves shit on your hands and the table and there's just no way I could ever convince the guys (or myself) to use them that way.
 
Yeah, this is definitely a different kind of juice... Not the usual chunks :sick: It's much more like just dirt/grime/dust built up from literally just sitting (unused) for likely an easy 40-50 years. A big part of me really hates to clean them. Solely because of "history"... But on the other hand, they are pretty musty (as in kinda stinky) and so covered that handling them at all leaves shit on your hands and the table and there's just no way I could ever convince the guys (or myself) to use them that way.
Yeah, I had a feeling it was more grimy than gunky. My honest vote is to clean them. The history is in the chips, not the dirt. They pop really hard when cleaned up. It’s not even close.

Besides, no one would want to handle or play with them like that (if you chose to felt them that is)
 
Wow, very nice stuff! Awesome to see stuff like this out there.

I would personally clean them if you'd like to play with them. I'm not sure if you will, but that's what I did with the dirty illegal chips that I got. They weren't dirty dirty, but were dirty enough that it bothered me. I too thought about not cleaning them, but I figured if I was going to play with them I'd like them clean.
 
Wow, very nice stuff! Awesome to see stuff like this out there.

I would personally clean them if you'd like to play with them. I'm not sure if you will, but that's what I did with the dirty illegal chips that I got. They weren't dirty dirty, but were dirty enough that it bothered me. I too thought about not cleaning them, but I figured if I was going to play with them I'd like them clean.
Thanks!! I am definitely quite excited to have 'em!!!! Definitely a set I didn't think I would ever end up with!

Yup, at this point I do believe I have decided to clean them up as I certainly plan on getting them into play!
 
We need more illegals on this forum!
Well, I do have one other set (plus) to add to this thread.... once I actually get around to it!! Hahaha

...And wow!!! Those are beautiful!!! Any info to share on those? Where are they from?
 
Well, I do have one other set (plus) to add to this thread.... once I actually get around to it!! Hahaha

...And wow!!! Those are beautiful!!! Any info to share on those? Where are they from?
A majority of these chips are from the 4807 Club that was in Cicero, Illinois towards the end of the 40s and into the 50s. This club was owned by "John Varlas (or Varlos) and Joseph Vaccaro (aka Joseph Vacco or James Vaccaro). They were often arrested as the “keepers” (operators) of 4807 Club" says John Binder in his article "A Batch of Illegal Chips from Cicero". I was lucky enough to find these chips on eBay at the end of last summer in 2021. The person I got them from got them at an estate auction in Indiana if I remember correctly. Then, the Horseshoe $10 chips are from an illegal casino that was in Collinsville, Illinois towards the end of the 50s. These chips were ordered in 1959 as the Taylor & Co. chip card reads.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...no-videos-random-fun-stuff.66713/post-1763536

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/oldest-playable-chipset-on-pcf.84070/post-1797842
 
The pics don't truly show just how gross these really are... I cannot tell you how many times I had to wash my hands after this photoshoot... Even had to clean the poker table!!!

To clean or not to clean??? Give me your opinions… Would it be a travesty to attempt to clean them up? Or should they be left in their incredibly nasty state??
Thanks for sharing this. Very cool find and back story.

I was first going to say leave the dirty ones dirty, i kind of like the look. But based on what you said above, about having to clean your hands and the poker table afterward -- I'll leave it to you.

Would laying them all out and dusting them off with a duster or a very soft bristled brush help knock off some of the loose dirt? Like a paleontologist would do to clean dirt off dinosaur bones. I might first try that. If you can get them to a point where they're not shedding dirt/dust each time you use them.

But if you do decide to clean them.... I'd advise from experience -- do not use TSP. And maybe even do not use an ultrasonic cleaning machine. Start with a spare chip or 2 to test cleaning methods and start with a gentle cleaning like lukewarm water and basic Dawn detergent. I tested a TSP solution on some older non-Paulson chips before and it started to dissolve the chip itself! Made it very chalky and even 'roughened' up the whole surface of the chip to the point where it was ruined. (Don't worry, the chips I tested and ruined were extras/spares, that I didn't end up needing, but luckily I had a few extras above and beyond a full rack to test cleaning methods on.) And this was the same diluted strength TSP solution that I've used on hundreds of Paulson chips without issue before.
 
Thanks for sharing this. Very cool find and back story.

I was first going to say leave the dirty ones dirty, i kind of like the look. But based on what you said above, about having to clean your hands and the poker table afterward -- I'll leave it to you.

Would laying them all out and dusting them off with a duster or a very soft bristled brush help knock off some of the loose dirt? Like a paleontologist would do to clean dirt off dinosaur bones. I might first try that. If you can get them to a point where they're not shedding dirt/dust each time you use them.

But if you do decide to clean them.... I'd advise from experience -- do not use TSP. And maybe even do not use an ultrasonic cleaning machine. Start with a spare chip or 2 to test cleaning methods and start with a gentle cleaning like lukewarm water and basic Dawn detergent. I tested a TSP solution on some older non-Paulson chips before and it started to dissolve the chip itself! Made it very chalky and even 'roughened' up the whole surface of the chip to the point where it was ruined. (Don't worry, the chips I tested and ruined were extras/spares, that I didn't end up needing, but luckily I had a few extras above and beyond a full rack to test cleaning methods on.) And this was the same diluted strength TSP solution that I've used on hundreds of Paulson chips without issue before.
Thanks! Definitely still quite excited about it… although as per usual, life got busy and I haven’t had much time to spend continuing/updating things… I’ll get there eventually! Haha

So yeah, I did have a chance to clean up a few…. Though I’m not happy with the results. After going through all kinds of threads/posts (even finding some specific to US and BC Wills chips) I gave the US a shot with a few chips (Much lower temp and 1/2 as much tsp). It did not seem to hurt the chip itself, however…. While it cleaned up the faces mostly, there is certainly nothing left, other than the “impression, of the hot stamp. On one hand, I’m not that surprised as the chips I decided to test on were incredibly worn to begin with. The US left much to be desired with the edges.. didn’t really clean the edges up at all. So I’ll definitely need to do that by hand… which leads to if I’m going to have to scrub them individually regardless, then I may as well do the whole thing by hand too.
F6E974F5-ED90-45D4-B69E-C0F8A99C49CC.jpeg

(Not to mention that without EXCELLENT lighting, the result can make it incredibly hard to tell the difference between the $1 and $10… I don’t know that anything is going to bring the $1s back to bright white!)
So, the thought here… I’m honestly guessing that there probably isn’t much left of the actual hot stamp on any of them, and that the main reason it is visible at all is likely just the “dirt”. As you mentioned (and as icky as it may sound) the dirt does “define” both the hot stamp and the mold itself… and if it ends up being the difference between saving what’s left of the stamp (whatever it may actually be made up of now :sick:) or having nothing but a “blank” chip, perhaps I will attempt to hand clean more of just the outer edge and rolling edges.

I like the paleontologist idea for sure!!! Think I will give a “dry clean” a shot before anything else. I kinda assume that once wet, it could end up making the crud even more difficult to clean off.

We’ll see :unsure:
 
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I’m honestly guessing that there probably isn’t much left of the actual hot stamp on any of them, and that the main reason it is visible at all is likely just the “dirt”.
That's exactly what is left of the "hot stamp". It's been soo worn down that the dirt has now made itself the hot stamp and that's why it's more of a darker looking "stamp" than the original foil that was used. I've done that in the past too and kind of regretted it, but I can't stand having dirty chips.
 
Very beautiful set, thanks for sharing :love:
Thanks for taking the time to read it!!



Seems I never did get around to adding the Pines Club, and it’s hard to believe this was a year ago!!! Hopefully I can get to it soon…Kinda shocking just how busy life can be sometimes! Haha
 
How did I miss this thread for almost a year?!

I thought I was the only one collecting Hollywood Clubs... Looks like you need some green $1s, @Meathooke...

View attachment 1150602
I kinda thought I might be only one too! Haha Honestly, I don’t know that I’ve ever really seen mention of them here before…. Hell, other than me asking a question about them years ago, didn’t really see anything back on the blue wall either :/ So there probably aren’t too many of us.. at least not that are wanting large quantities of them!
Green $1s!!! Those are awesome! I don’t know that I’ve actually ever even seen any of those being sold before… Although it’s been quite a while since I’ve looked for any of them. I don’t have any greens nor do I have any $25s… But I do have a few orange $10s.
 
Greens are super worn, but PM me an address and I'll ship one out too you. I know how nagging OCD can be knowing there's something out there that you don't have.

I recall connecting with the son/nephew of someone that was in the purple gang on TCB (I think he was in Cleveland). He gave me a ton of info about the chips and the Purple Gang in general. I was collecting illegals from the Detroit area only, but he put me on to the Hollywood Club. I'm was never looking to make a playable set, but when I see something I don't have on eBay, unusually throw in a bid. I got the green chips from eBay, I believe.
 
Thanks for taking the time to read it!!



Seems I never did get around to adding the Pines Club, and it’s hard to believe this was a year ago!!! Hopefully I can get to it soon…Kinda shocking just how busy life can be sometimes! Haha
Do you still have any of the Pines Club chips left?
 

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