I put these on the BB asking the California collectors for information on them. Wondering if they were possibly illegals? Did not get the answer to that question but I did get several different addresses for the Club.

See below on the Illegal/Legal question.

Enough of that:

California:

1.00 yellow and 25 lavender no $ sign.

RTM
Ray T Magnum.
San Francisco, CA
2/2/39
Yellow 1 –Blue 5 -lavendar- 25 -Vermillion 50
SFCC order

In reply to the BB post:
Ray T Mangum (residence San Francisco) with Bill Martin operated the Yosemite Club in the Ritz Hotel in Emeryville, Ca. Don't know if he had a club in San Francisco. Doug Saito has offered the RTM chips in the past as Emeryville, Ca. Yosemite Club operated under about 8 various people and eventually became the Avalon Club.
Larry Odoms

RTM [CLUB V]
333 SAN PABLO AVENUE
EL CERRITOS, CA
1939 – 1951
Jim Colbert from Dick Staefflers site.

Reply through email.
Hi Gene
Ray T Magnum these chips where use at the Club V in El Cerritos 333 San Pablo Ave, from 39-51. This town is across the bay from SF
Larry Eastman

My note: My friend Of the Hobby saw the post and took pity on me.

From what I read below, it looks like Larry E and Dick’s site was right, except there is no Club V mentioned in the ads. I am going with the 333 Club in El Cerritos as the right ID. Who knows, maybe everybody is right?
At least we have some history.

RTM

The chips were delivered to Ray Mangum about the same time he opened a place in El Cerrito called the 333 Club at 333 San Pablo Ave. Mangum, a native of Utah (born 1891), had operated for several years in Los Angeles before moving to the Bay area shortly before opening the 333 Club.

One-third of the 333 Club was owned by the Zemansky brothers of LA who were also known as the “Prince of the Pawnshops” because of their dominance of the pawn and loan business in southern California. The “Z-boys” were involved in all sorts of gambling enterprises. In 1939, in addition to their interest in the 333, the Zemansky’s owned 100% of Club Fortune in Reno—50% owned by Sol, Abe & David and the remaining 50% owned by Joe, who was the proprietor (they also had a share in a place called “Playhouse Fascination” in Butte, MT).

An ad from 12feb1939—10 days after the chip order (“Ask for Ray”).

Ad a few days later:

My note: Read below and decide for yourselves if it was an Illegal or Legal card room, or combination of both.

In your post you asked of the RTM: Is it a card room or an illegal? In 1939 lots of people were asking the same question, from the El Cerrito chief of police to the California AG Earl Warren.

Oakland Tribune—16march1939:

As far as I can tell, the 333 stayed open for at least a few years.
The “Club Jade bingo palace” mentioned above was said to have been a Zemansky enterprise. In the late 1930’s the Zemansky’s were considered the bingo kings of LA and were accused of trying to become the same in the Bay area.