NEW ORLEANS ILLEGAL CASINO CREST & SEAL CHIP Gray crest and seal gambling chip from the New Southport Club, an illegal casino outside New Orleans, Louisiana. This chip measures 1.55 inches in diameter. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. Owned by Carlos Marcello, who the Times-Picayune newspaper called "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," the New Southport Club was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. Owned by Carlos Marcello, who the Times-Picayune newspaper called "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," the New Southport Club was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s.
 

$1 O'DWYER CLUB CHIP, HOT STAMP This $1.00 denomination chip from the O'Dwyer's Club of New Orleans is in mint condition. It is a greenish-gray color, hot- stamped chip with 3 green inserts. It is the Jones mold, made by the Jones Bros. of New Orleans, Louisiana. George and Rudy O'Dwyer ran the illegal O'Dwyer's casino and nightclub just a few steps outside of the city limits of New Orleans in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. (Counties in Louisiana are called parishes.) Chips that carry denominations such as 25 cents, $1.00, and $5.00 are technically called gaming checks. These illegal club checks tell a story of Dixieland jazz and the southern hospitality of New Orleans, mother of Mississippi riverboat gambling in the U.S. This is one of the most famous of the illegal gambling establishments in the United States. No. 615
 

BLUE NEW SOUTHPORT CLUB HOT STAMP CHIP This dark blue hot-stamp chip is a Jones-mold, nondenomination chip from the New Southport Club in Louisiana. They are hot-stamped with New Southport Club in the center. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. In the 1930s Carlos Marcello, "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," took over a building called the Jefferson Inn and renamed it the New Southport Club. It was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. It is the only gambling building which has survived in a 3 block area and is now being refurbished as the Southport Hall, a night club and dance hall.
 

RED NEW SOUTHPORT CHIP, HOT STAMP This red, hot-stamp chip is a Jones-mold, nondenomination chip from the New Southport Club in Louisiana. They are hot-stamped with New Southport Club in the center. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. In the 1930s Carlos Marcello, "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," took over a building called the Jefferson Inn and renamed it the New Southport Club. It was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. It is the only gambling building which has survived in a 3 block area and is now being refurbished as the Southport Hall, a night club and dance hall.
 

CREAM NEW SOUTHPORT CHIP, HOT STAMP This cream or ivory hot-stamp chip is a Jones-mold, nondenomination chip from the New Southport Club in Louisiana. They are hot-stamped with New Southport Club in the center. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. In the 1930s Carlos Marcello, "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," took over a building called the Jefferson Inn and renamed it the New Southport Club. It was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. It is the only gambling building which has survived in a 3 block area and is now being refurbished as the Southport Hall, a night club and dance hall.
 

NEW SOUTHPORT CHIP, HOT STAMP This salmon or light terra cotta hot-stamp chip is a Jones-mold, nondenomination chip from the New Southport Club in Louisiana. They are hot-stamped with New Southport Club in the center. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. In the 1930s Carlos Marcello, "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," took over a building called the Jefferson Inn and renamed it the New Southport Club. It was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. It is the only gambling building which has survived in a 3 block area and is now being refurbished as the Southport Hall, a night club and dance hall.
 

NEW ORLEANS CHIPS, SET OF 4 NEW SOUTHPORT These four Jones-mold, nondenomination chips are from the New Southport Club in Louisiana. They are hot-stamped with New Southport Club in the center. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. In the 1930s Carlos Marcello, "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," took over a building called the Jefferson Inn and renamed it the New Southport Club. It was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. It is the only gambling building which has survived in a 3 block area and is now being refurbished as the Southport Hall, a night club and dance hall.
 

CREST AND SEAL CHIP, ORANGE NEW SOUTHPORT This orange and ivory crest and seal roulette chip is from the New Southport Club of New Orleans, Louisiana. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. Owned by Carlos Marcello, who the Times-Picayune newspaper called "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," the New Southport Club was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. These multiple color crest and seal chips have a design and workmanship of the finest order and quality seen in gaming counters of that era.
 

CREST AND SEAL CHIP, TAN NSP This tan and ivory crest and seal roulette chip is from the New Southport Club of New Orleans, Louisiana. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. Owned by Carlos Marcello, who the Times-Picayune newspaper called "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," the New Southport Club was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. These multiple color crest and seal chips have a design and workmanship of the finest order and quality seen in gaming counters of that era.
 

CREST AND SEAL CHIP,NEW ORLEANS SOUTHPORT This pink and ivory crest and seal roulette chip is from the New Southport Club of New Orleans, Louisiana. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. Owned by Carlos Marcello, who the Times-Picayune newspaper called "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," the New Southport Club was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. These multiple color crest and seal chips have a design and workmanship of the finest order and quality seen in gaming counters of that era.
 

CREST AND SEAL CHIP, BLACK NSP This black and ivory crest and seal roulette chip is from the New Southport Club of New Orleans, Louisiana. The New Southport Club was located in Jefferson Parish, just outside the city limits of New Orleans, off the Mississippi River Road at 1300 Monticello Street. Owned by Carlos Marcello, who the Times-Picayune newspaper called "the purported organized crime king of New Orleans," the New Southport Club was a lavish illegal casino and night spot famous in the 1930s to the 1950s. These multiple color crest and seal chips have a design and workmanship of the finest order and quality seen in gaming counters of that era.
 

OLD SOUTHPORT $1 GAMBLING POKER CHIP This $1.00 denomination, crest and seal chip was from the Old Southport Club which was located at River Road and Protection levee in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. This chip measures 1-5/8 inches in diameter and has a black outer band, violet inner band and white inlay center. It is in excellent condition. The Old Southport Club was originally named Hyland's Southport Inn when owned by Joe Hyland, one of Louisiana's gambling pioneers. The name was later changed to the Southport Club and sold to the O'Dwyers. They sold it to Charlie Kerner around 1916 and he re-named it the Old Southport Club.
 

OLD SOUTHPORT $.25 GAMBLING POKER CHIP This $.25 denomination, crest and seal chip was from the Old Southport Club which was located at River Road and Protection levee in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. This chip measures 1-5/8 inches in diameter and has a green outer band, red inner band and beige inlay center. It is in good condition but there is some wearing away of the red circle. The Old Southport Club was originally named Hyland's Southport Inn when owned by Joe Hyland, one of Louisiana's gambling pioneers. The name was later changed to the Southport Club and sold to the O'Dwyers. They sold it to Charlie Kerner around 1916 and he re-named it the Old Southport Club.
 

HYLAND'S SOUTHPORT GAMBLING/POKER CHIPS Joe Hyland, one of New Orlean's two earliest pioneer gambling kingpins, started his career in his teens about the same time that the "Coconut King," Jack Sheehan, opened the Suburban Gardens. Chartered social clubs had a long tradition in the Crescent City, and often served as fronts for illegal gambling operations and later for illegal liquor speakeasys during prohibition. Hyland opened the Southport Inn operations at the turn of the century, just a few blocks from New Orleans city limits in Jefferson Parish, 9001 Oak, at River Road and Protection Levee. Games of chance in the "Free State of Jefferson" included roulette, craps, horse book, poker and black jack, Faro, the lottery, keno, and a bank card game called "kotch," which were openly advertised and played at Hyland's Southport. Once raided by the Louisiana National Guard in 1915, Hyland's Southport catered to an exclusive clientele, including high ranking government and law enforcement officials. Hyland brought two kid brothers, Rudy and George O'Dwyer, into the operation and taught them the business. He later sold them the club. In a January 1920 news article, The Times Picayne called Hyland's Southport a "by-product of 20 years of RING RULE in New Orleans." Hyland's Southport roulette chips are of the finest quality and are likely some of the oldest surviving chips from the new Orleans area. they are die cut with white inlays and were manufactured in four colors to make a matched, completed set - red, blue, gray, and yellow. Initials are inlaid with a highly stylized "H" on the obverse and "S" reverse. (These chips are L numbers 178, 179, 180 and 181 in Delta Night, NOLA Illegal Gambling Clubs, Checks and Chips - page 17.)
 

ORIGINAL CLUB FOREST, BLUE This chip is a blue, 18-star mold roulette chip from the Original Club Forest Club of New Orleans, Louisiana. The Original Club Forest chip is rare and a uniquely collectible gaming counter. Inlaid with the club's address plainly displayed in crest and seal fashion, the outside edge sports a circular mold of 18 encused stars. Named the LA1812 mold in Gaming Times magazine (April 1998), the 18 stars are thought to symbolize Lousiana (LA) as the 18th state to enter the Union in the year 1812. This chip is in used condition and has a few nicks around the edges. Manufacturer of this "non-duplicate" chip is purported to be Jones Brothers, 117 N. Hennessey St., New Orleans 19, La. These chips were used by George and Rudy O'Dwyer who ran the Original Club Forest at 407 E. Jefferson Highway during the heyday of illegal New Orleans gambling. Advertising for the club was done openly; and patrons, both local and tourists were "protected" rather than hasseled by local law enforcement. After all, illegal gambling was good for the city economy.