This is the story of two California illegal Clubs that operated in the 1930's & 40's.

Chip 1:

One of our California BBer's, Jay Pike sent me a scan of the LP chips looking for an ID. Only a name, address, and date on the Mason record. Once again no Club name. Unless something catches my eye, I seldom research CA chips. Too many legal CA clubs. As far as I was concerned the matter was closed. Jay wasn't done with them. He put the record info on his I phone and went to a chip treading session in Sacramento.

He traded a set of LP's with a Stockton chip collector, Larry Valterza. Larry poured through the Stockton Directory and death records, He found Panelli's niece and got the story. Plus he got a story in the Stockton Record newspaper. How is that for promoting the hobby.

Welcome Jay and Larry as contributors to the "Illegal Of The Day" posts. I hope you are only the newest and not the last of our contributors.

LP
Lino Panelli
Lino's Club
14 East Market St
Stockton, CA
1680 chips
7/13/49

Email from Larry:

Hi Gene,

As far as I am concerned you can use whatever info you like. I understand that you generously provided the information to help identify that chip and I thank you very much for that. The chip is kind of "community project" with all of us contributing a piece to ID a UFC which is the way it should be. I am going to attach the article from the Stockton Record on the chip. The family tells me that the business was called Lino's Club and it was in business from 1946 to 1961, listed as a restaurant. The building was torn down for redevelopment of the Stockton "skid row" in 1961. Lino opened another place on in Stockton on Clay Street which was called "Lino's" but did not have gambling. Lino Panelli died in 1969, his wife, Jenny (co-owner), died last December at 97 years of age.

I will paste in the info on the article let me know if it still works. I will attach a pic I have of Lino as well. I will be receiving additional pictures from the family and I will be happy to share them with anyone is interested. One of the pictures is supposed to be a pic of Lino in front of the club. Thanks for the contact. If you need additional let me know.
Larry V.
CC>CC - R-8128

My note: Copied from the Stockton record. I did not download the entire article as I wasn't sure what the copy write law is for current newspaper articles.

From the Stockton Record 3/15/13

At Lino's, customers packed the bar three deep. A big orange-striped bar cat was famous for walking down the bar-top and pawing customers' loose change off the bar and onto Lino's side of the floor.

"After that, Lino would pick it up and it was his," Stephens recalled.

My note: There is something new. A big orange cat trained to be a bar tip hustler.

The back room featured the gambling. Upstairs was a bordello. The girls used to saunter down to socialize and solicit business. That steamed Jennie Panelli, Lino's wife.

My note: Lino's wife: Jennie Salvetti Panelli was a red-headed spitfire, per the article. Gambling and ladies of the night in the same joint. What more can you ask for?

Here is the link to the article. If you like the history of your chips use the link and read a good story.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130315/A_NEWS0803/303150326&emailAFriend=1

Lino Panelli, proprietor of Lino's Club, tending bar in the 1940s.

OK, after the LP story maybe CA ID's are worth messing with. Another one with no Club name.

Chip 2.

MP in Circle
Marty Principe
517 Castro St
Hayward, CA
2/26/37

Enter our "Friend OF the hobby."

From what I understand, in the late 1930’s in California, the only game in which chips would have been used that was not illegal was draw poker.

My note: I believe CA law allowed both draw and 5 card stud Lo Ball only.

The MP in circle delivery address was the location of a bar run by the Principe family. Marty Principe was a known bookmaker and appears to have controlled the race wire in Hayward around the time of the chip order.

My note: Not much! After Larry's success I asked for more info and a Club name. From the info below I am going with “Principe & Sons.”

As far as I can tell there was no club name for the MP in Circle. The Principe family built the two story “Principe Building” in the 500 block of Castro St. on the corner of “A” St. in 1926. The building housed several addresses—517, 519, 521, 523--many of which were Principe businesses. Marty Principe had a men’s store and real estate office in the building. At the time of the chip order in 1937 the Principe’s ran a liquor store/ bar at 517 Castro, the chip delivery address.

In the 1930’s both Marty and his dad Gato purchased licenses to sell beer, wine and liquor in the building. The only names I saw associated with the delivery address around the time of the chip order were “Principe & Sons” and simply “Principe.” Around 1945 a cocktail lounge named the “Turf Bar” opened at 517 Castro.

The building no longer exists and Castro Street is now Mission Boulevard. The chips have Marty’s initials on them but I’m not sure what he used them for. I assume they were used in the Principe Building in the 500 block of Castro Street.

In 1940 California Attorney General Earl Warren accused Marty Principe of distributing Moe Annenberg’s race wire information to bookies in the Hayward area. His address was listed as 519 Castro, which was the address of his real estate office.

My note: One thing for sure. Since Marty was distributing Annenberg’s race wire, I have serious doubts the chips were used in "LEGAL" gambling.

pic of Marty Principe in his Merchant Marine uniform:

"Illegal Of The Day" posts began as a hunger to know the history of my chips. I would like to think they have instilled that hunger in others. Special thanks to Mike Pellerin for posting the history and scans of the Commonwealth Club in Worcester, Mass.

http://www.thechipboard.com/index.cgi/page/1/md/read/id/1245133/sbj/commonwealth-club/

I had shown a chip from there on 8/27/10 in an IOTD. I actually missed the fact that it was a Club from an IOTD until he called my attention to it. I plead "OLD AGE." The info and scans have been added to my copy.