Hiya jim. I really can't answer any more of your question than just offer some observations about my interest in the Chesterfield chips. I collect the Nevada Club that operated in Reno and have a fondness for most Reno chips as well.
The Chesterfield Club operated in the Chesterfield township and was under the control of the Chesterfield syndicate. I'm far from being expert on illegal clubs or organised crime so I welcome any imput on anything I may present here. What is in my ballpark are the names we find associated with the Chesterfield Club and the Chesterfield syndicate. Mert Wertheimer, for example was the head of the Chesterfield boys and they operated in the Detroit area with permission of the Jewish Purple Gang. Wertheimer also had relationships with Adonis, the Lanskys, and Costello and indeed, even had part of the Colonial Inn in Florida. Wertheimer's brothers ran illegal clubs in Las Angles and partnered up with Bugsy when he hit the west coast. Lincoln Fitzgerald was next to Werthimer at the head of the syndicate and another name I always find was his partner, Daniel Sullivan.
So I've studied these fellows bcause they all found advantage in moving to Reno about 1946-47. Wertheimer ended up with the Riverside Hotel Casino and Fitz and Sullivan partnered the Nevada Club for years. They found friends when they hit Reno because Graham and McKay over at the Bank Club were native gangsters who had long time ties with the Midwestern crime families. Many stories, theories and conjecture about how these guys actually found themselves on the outs at home and arriving in Reno with car loads of cash and Chesterfield Club chips. Overlooked by the fame of the white "CC" chips, the blue twenty chip may find more respect some day. The story of $20 chips in Reno gaming history is something that could prove fascinating.
As you no doubt know Jim, the more we find out about these round pieces of clay, the more attractive they become. The Chesterfields certainly have a pedigree for colorful characters and far reaching relationships. I like the set I bought from Howdy Herz for $20. 
