CHICAGO – On Thursday, May 18, Potter & Potter Auctions will hold its signature Spring Gambling Memorabilia sale, starting at 10 am Central time. More than 540 lots of gambling- and cheating-related books, materials and apparatus will be offered, as well as exceptional examples of antique to modern playing cards and gambling chips. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Rare books related to gambling and cheating take several of the top lot slots in this sale, such as The Expert at the Card Table by S. W. Erdnase, which is estimated at $6,000-$9,000. This near-fine copy was published by the author in Chicago in 1902. It includes the bookplate of collector and magic historian Dr. John Henry Grossman and the ownership stamp of Le Roy McCafferty. “S. W. Erdnase” is a pseudonym for an unknown magician and gambler.

The May 18 sale also features vintage to antique gambling and cheating apparatus, led by a circa-1930 gaffed roulette wheel made in Chicago by A. Ball & Bro. Makers and estimated at $4,000-$5,000. This professional-size example has a built-in gaff in the form of a hidden button under the outside rim that pushes a piece of wood out from the ball track to divert the ball towards a certain section of pockets. As a result, the dealer can keep the ball away from numbers, or a range of numbers, which carry the largest bets in real time.

Premier examples of playing cards include a brick of unopened Jerry’s Nugget playing cards from the 1980s, estimated at $2,500-$3,500. The lot includes six blue-back and six red-back packs.

Another strong offering is a deck of erotic French transparent or translucent playing cards. These engraved and stenciled playing cards were produced in France around 1860. When held to the light, each reveals a different erotic scene of couples or individual women and men, including all the court cards. The deck has an estimate of $1,500-$2,500.

Of course, gambling chips are another spotlight category in this spring event. Lot #419, a collection of about 184 Las Vegas casino chips that includes various limited-edition and commemorative issue examples, is estimated at $500-$700. Their denominations are in the range of $5 to $25, with a few other smaller values mixed in.

A particular standout is a lot of a dozen circa-1890 American-made mother-of-pearl gambling chips, bearing the initial “W” and estimated at $400-$600. Their denominations are on the verso, comprising one 5, three 20, three 50, one 200, one 500 and three 5,000 chips.

Coin-op machines, gambling related collectibles, and antiques that defy traditional auction categories complete the sale lineup. Of note is a Royal Bayreuth devil and cards pitcher, decorated with a smiling devil cradling a group of playing card decks. It is estimated at $300-$500.

Certain to turn heads is an O.D. Jennings & Co. 1 Cent Rainbow Five Jacks machine, estimated at $2,000-$3,000. This working, all-original coin-op machine measures 20 by 15 by 12in and was made in Chicago in the early 1930s. It includes its paper instructions on its inside as well as its original key.

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