Vintage Chip Set owned by Joesph "Potato Sack" Rinaldo - E. Rochester, NY (2 Viewers)

Mushmanchuman

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I was fortunate enough to get a hold of this very nice piece of gambling history! This case and set weighs 31lbs and was purchased from a young man in the Rochester, NY area. Seller states that the chips came from his Grandpa who got them from his father, Joesph P. Rinaldo aka. "Potato Sack". (d.2003)

Mr. Rinaldo ran an illegal card room out of the back of what was a cigar shop located at 108 Main St. in E. Rochester. This game ran for multiple decades and the news clippings show just how big a deal this guy was. The building is now a pizza joint with the oven placed where the gambling was done.


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Case came with a little over a barrel of MD-46 Rectangle chips.
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The case opened during shipping and some chips were loose in the box. We almost threw them out but we heard chips in the packing peanuts. These
chips and case also smelled. Not a gross smell but one that reminds of your grandpas place. This case must have been closed for years and years! Now
it's sitting outside for the next week to air out.


As I received them. No chip was damaged. The two trays needed some wood glue on a corner each. Besides the the case being a little beat up and the
trays needing some glue, this entire set is in incredible condition.

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The chips got a nice, hot dawn bath and rinse from the hose. Gotta get that 100 year musk off of them.


A little bit of mineral oil to bring back the vintage colors. Chips don't retain the oil but they do shine back up real nice!

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Above family photo: Sack far right with some of his cronies.
 

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How cool. Would love to see the entire set after cleaning and oiling! Great pickup and history !
And wherever the set ends up they need the newspaper reprints framed on the poker room wall.
 
Cool story for this Rochesterian who knows that neck of the woods pretty well!!
Lemme know if you can dig up any extra info or pictures.

You know, go look at all the microfilm at the library for me mmmmkay?
 

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