I’ve learned some important lessons over the years of being a collector and researcher of chips. Namely, ANY information is potentially important information. For starters, where you find a chip, and what other chips are found with them, can sometimes be the difference between discovering a chip’s story and not.

Like archaeologists, context is important. Although we can’t be sure chips found in an area are from that place (chips migrate frequently), finding a group of chips together can be a sign that they were gathered at some point. If we’re lucky enough to know the identities for some of the chips, and can places them together in a common time and place, we can start to look at the others to see if perhaps we can find a common string tying them all together.

In the last year, I have been lucky enough to find a few different groupings of chips from the Dallas and Fort Worth areas, all tied to Benny Binion’s gambling empire. If interested in the story of Benny Binion’s gambling war, check out my article from the Winter 2017 CCTN (or email me and I’ll send it to you).

In very brief, Benny Binion, before becoming a Las Vegas icon, ran the illegal gambling activities in Dallas. Through years of research, we have uncovered dozens of chips belonging to Binion and his Southland gambling cartel.

The Dallas/Fort Worth gambling scene is a complex network of gamblers who pop up here and there in different locations at different times. I joke sometimes that it feels like you are a CSI agent with a wall of photos and a web of yarn showing the connections between them all!

One great example of this attribution by association occurred a couple of days ago when IOTD researcher extraordinaire Dean Sanders came up with some incredible detective work. Let’s go through his findings…

A rusty briefcase was found in an abandoned storage locker in Fort Worth containing mixed amounts of chips. Included in the case were:

We know from the records and previous research that all the chips are from the Dallas and Fort Worth area. Perhaps this might help identify some of the unknowns.

Today’s focus will be on the interesting chip marked “C.G.C. 6-M”. That’s a lot of markings and the “6-M” makes it seem there are more than just owners initials involved.

Dean starting mapping out some of the known information and one chip in particular stood out – the one marked “STATE”.

Unfortunately for collectors, there was only one single chip with the STATE marking in the bunch. Its inclusion though, would be extremely significant.

The Mason record is light on information – it simply says “Dyke Clark, Fort Worth, Tx, 1936”.

Without much to go on, Dean found a possible hit with a place called “The State” at 701 Main Street in downtown Fort Worth that opened right around the time of the chip order.

(There are other connections, like the HJB chip being sent to a place across the street and another order to a club that shares a wall with the State, but we’re not going down that road today).

The State had a history of problems with the authorities and was frequently raided for liquor violations (in 1938, the Jewish owner Morris Antner said Adolf Hitler was “more of a gentleman” than the raiding liquor agents).

In 1938, the State was raided and gambling was found on the premises. The owner was sentenced to two years in prison and unlike so many other gamblers, he would have to serve it completely.

So what the heck does that have to do with the “CGC 6-M” chip? I’m glad you asked.

With the State owner locked up, the place was reopened as the Clover Grill. It carried the same layout as the State with the first floor being the Clover Grill and the second floor opened with live music and entertainment called the Clover Club. The address of 701 Main, being on the corner of 6th and Main, may have changed names, but it seems a lot had stayed the same. Although we haven’t uncovered the reports of gambling yet, its safe to say that where there is smoke…

Which brings us to the chips. I’m not sure I would have seen it right away, but luckily Dean Sanders has better eyes (and a quicker brain), because he was able to see something that is clearly obvious when finally spotted. Do you see it???

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Pretty amazing, don’t you agree?

So again, without the other chips, there is no way someone would come across that. And if they did, how could you be sure is wasn’t a coincidence? Using the “STATE” chip, as well as some clues with other chips that I didn’t go into, there can be little doubt that the letter puzzle has been solved.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done. So far we haven’t uncovered the entire story of the Clover Grill and some of the other chips are still floating around the area needing to be buttoned down.

Stay tuned…

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Recent IOTD:

Club Southland gambling school
Posted – 7/16/2019
http://www.thechipboard.com/index.cgi/md/read/id/1567799/sbj/illegal-of-the-day-illinois-mini/

The Tropics – Lincoln, Illinois
Posted – 4/7/2019
Like father, like son
http://www.thechipboard.com/archives/archives.pl/bid/399/md/read/id/1556864/sbj/illegal-of-the-day-illinois-54-the-tropics/

Kirk Green Ranch – Ashland, Montana
Post – 2/18/2019
Great lengths to attribute a chip
http://www.thechipboard.com/archives/archives.pl/bid/399/md/read/id/1551438/sbj/illegal-of-the-day-montana-6/

Kipp’s Stag – Havana, Illinois
Posted – 2/13/2019
A family affair
http://www.thechipboard.com/archives/archives.pl/bid/399/md/read/id/1550918/sbj/illegal-of-the-day-illinois-53/

Indian Head hotstamps – Washington & Illinois
Posted – 12/21/2018
Identifying who ordered what Indian head hotstamps
http://www.thechipboard.com/archives/archives.pl/bid/399/md/read/id/1545841/sbj/iotd-washington-illinois/

Swastika Cigar Store – Roundup, Montana
Posted – 8/31/2018
Mini IOTD on a controversial name
http://www.thechipboard.com/archives/archives.pl/bid/399/md/read/id/1533484/sbj/illegal-of-the-day-montana-mini/