Robert Eisenstadt Estate Auction (1 Viewer)

CrazyEddie

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Robert Eisenstadt, a man who played a significant part in the poker chip collecting world, passed away last year. Here is a thread from the time of his passing, and a memoriam thread from The Chip Board.

Now, six months later, some portion of his collection is being auctioned off. See here: https://potterauctions.com/auctions/upcoming

Ante Up: Gambling Memorabilia​

JANUARY 30, 2021 • 10:00 AM
In our first auction of the new year, we present casino chips, poker sets, and gambling memorabilia from the collection of the late Robert Eisenstadt. One of the top collectors in this field, Mr. Eisenstadt owned troves of rare and obsolete chips from casinos around the world, antique and beautifully designed poker and gaming sets, as well as cheating, gambling, and card playing paraphernalia and ephemera. The sale also brings together playing cards and books, for what will be one of the most expansive gambling auctions we have had the pleasure of holding.

On that page you can download a catalog of the items being auctioned.

Robert himself documented some portions of his collection on his website: https://www.antiquegamblingchips.com/ . His family has said they will keep the site up and running in perpetuity.

I highly encourage anyone interested in our hobby to peruse the auction catalog - whether you plan on bidding or not - and in so doing gain some insight into the history of our game as reflected in the artifacts Robert collected and preserved for us to admire in posterity.
 
Marvelous collection. I can only hope Mr. Eisenstadt got to appreciate and enjoy his collection as much as we got to appreciate and enjoy his knowledge and love of the hobby. May his memory be a blessing to all who loved him, as well as all who love chipping.
 
Interestingly, I did not notice the Josephine ivory poker set included in the catalog. I wonder if that is being retained by the estate, or has been or will be placed privately.

Robert’s prized possession was his Josephine Collection, dubbed “a poker set for the ages” in Casino Collectible News. The deluxe 1890s set belonged to wealthy Gilded Age businessman P.A.B. Widener, who had it commissioned for his yacht Josephine, named after his wife, Hannah Josephine. In addition to its provenance, the set is noted for its high level of completeness, retaining all but one of the its 700 beautifully designed chips of six different denominations, kept in the original tiger oak case.

Here is Robert's own description and photographs of this poker set, along with his story of how he came to acquire it and how he discovered its origin.
 
Y'all can keep the chips and cards. I'll just take Dai Vernon's dealing box. Amazing to have the transfer card with it.
 
If @Windwalker doesn't purchase lot 371 as a poker Batman gadget, I will be crestfallen:

371. Gambler’s Arm / Sleeve Card Holdout. Early 20th century brass and metal Jacob’s Ladder holdout with leather straps. Worn under a shirt on the lower wrist, the device secretly delivers a card into the hand of the card cheat. The end piece which holds the cards was replaced around 1996, according to the consignor’s accompanying notes. Length (extended) 12 ½”.
 
Everyone needs one of these

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I went through the entire catalog figuring for sure there would be a few things in it that I own. Not a one. I’m shocked lol!

So much awesome stuff in there...thanks for sharing @CrazyEddie !!
 
Are there more pictures available for this auction?
You now know everything about it that I do!

I'm guessing if you were interested in specific items you could write to the auction house and ask them for additional pictures. Couldn't hurt to ask.
 
Its amazing to see what a person can do with interest, effort, time and money.

For anyone who has a collecting tendency, his accumulation is something to envy. Sad that his collection will be disbursed. It belongs in a museum.
 
wow.. lots of action. i don't think any of my high bids will hold up at this rate.
 
I bid online on some non-chip things (old wooden chip case and posters) and "won" online so now they're going to be auctioned off live(?). So I guess if noone bids on them live I get them? Weird system...
 
I bid online on some non-chip things (old wooden chip case and posters) and "won" online so now they're going to be auctioned off live(?). So I guess if noone bids on them live I get them? Weird system...

It’s not that weird if you think about it less as “I won the online auction” and more “I am currently winning an auction that has not yet concluded”. You can still bid remotely on the live portion.
 
Gotta say it's nerve-wracking waiting for my lots to come up

At the same time listening to the patter in the background is kind of soothing, like a gentle rainfall outside your window

I need a German word for "simultaneously relaxing and anxiety-inducing"
 
Such a unique collection for an auction. I could live the next 20 years of my life and not see its equal, or something even close.
Good luck if you are bidding. The "starting" prices from the online portion are all getting obliterated.
 
I bid online on some non-chip things (old wooden chip case and posters) and "won" online so now they're going to be auctioned off live(?). So I guess if noone bids on them live I get them? Weird system...
It's not the first auction I've seen like this. There was a land auction around here several years ago. Big "farmers market" building and some surrounding lots. They started with auctioning off the individual pieces, then had an auction for the whole thing, or for people who wanted multiple pieces. That took place after the first auctions.
 
Wonder if people are factoring in the 20% post bid fee or shipping and handling into their bids. Suprised the large money tree/mapes went to $325 pre-live bidding at least as it’s another likely $100 of fees.
 
It's not the first auction I've seen like this. There was a land auction around here several years ago. Big "farmers market" building and some surrounding lots. They started with auctioning off the individual pieces, then had an auction for the whole thing, or for people who wanted multiple pieces. That took place after the first auctions.

I attended an auction like that once. Liquidating an office space. Boy was I annoyed at the end, when after a couple of hours of auctioning off all the bits and pieces someone bought the whole damn thing. And I wasn't the only one annoyed either.

But I guess that's a standard practice? I was (and still am) a complete outsider when it comes to property auctions, so it's probably just my ignorance getting annoyed at something that everyone else would have been expecting.
 

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