$4,500
Secret Gambling Ledgers and records from the El Patio Club. Cicero Illinois, 1936 - 1940. Five ledgers that record the wins and losses at the illegal gaming tables operated at El Patio and the Austin Club. Among the games played there, away from the prying eyes of the law were Blackjack and what is referred to in the ledgers as the “wheel,” most likely roulette. In addition, a key component of the casino’s profit was its illegal sports book, the profits and losses from which are recorded in these books on a daily basis. Also included is a log of wages paid to employees, plus two photographs and miscellaneous ephemera related to wages paid to employees. Literally thousands of handmade entries fill the books, showing profits, losses, and expenses for operating the establishment, as well as the names of employees and the functions they served in the casino (some are noted as “Poker,” or “Slot,” etc.). Records also reflect operations at another Cicero mob-owned establishment, the Austin Club. All books 4to. Showing wear from regular use and age, but overall good condition. El Patio appeared to be nothing more than a nightclub and restaurant like all the others in the Chicago suburb of Cicero. But it was much more, as these ledgers make clear. El Patio was, essentially, the apex of everything that symbolizes the crime-centric Chicago of the prohibition era – an illegal casino and bar. A den of iniquity with direct ties to one of America’s most famous mobsters, Al Capone.
Auctioneer:
Potter & Potter
Date:
2012-06-23