Rare bi-level poker top! I had never seen such tops before until February 2009 when it went for $225 on eBay. It is
1.5" tall by 3/4" wide, bottom made of brass-chromium (non-magnetic) and the upper level is steel (magnetic) ... ..The upper level spins independently from the bottom. I finally got a nice one on eBay for only $113 in March 2011, for my personal collection.
The upper level reads TEN, NINE, ACE, KING, QUEEN, and JACK. The bottom half reads STRAI'T, FOUR, FLUSH, TWO, FULL HOUSE, and THREE.
On the top (on the upper level near the finial) is engraved (very faintly, but it can be easily read) the patent number and date, "April 1921."
The company made a similar horse racing top (also engraved 1921 on the top), which is relatively common. For the horse racing one there would be a betting layout with the names of the horses. Then when the spinning top finally finally came to rest, it would show the winning horse and the pay-off odds. Pictured below is the layout for the horse racing one. I have never seen the layout for the Poker top!
The tops were sold in boxes like these in stores. Note that the box says Patented April 1921 in small print.
Robert
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Zsa Zsa Gabor in publicity shot, holding plaques, for "Arrivederci, Baby!" (1966).
http://www.antiquegamblingchips.com/StillsC_FemaleStars.htm
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