1905 Gambling & Card Playing Illustrated Book by F. R. Ritter Leads Potter & Potter Auctions’ Gambling Memorabilia Sale

Advantage Card Playing and Draw Poker was a 1905 book by F. R. Ritter. It is leading the upcoming Gambling Memorabilia Auction from Potter & Potter Auctions. It is a rare first edition book illustrated with photographs of manipulative dealing positions like blockouts, holdouts and the earliest known image of a Jacobs Ladder-style holdout. The majority of this book deals with marked cards popular during the early 20th century in the United States. The second part briefly describes sleight-of-hand for the card cheater such as second dealing, bottom dealing, shuffling, false cuts, and mechanical holdouts. It is covered in light green cloth and gilt-stamped.

Gambling devices like a matching pair of Keno gooses are other noteworthy lots. This pair was made in 1885 by John Kewnig. Among the pair, one keno is gaffed and another is straight. The gaffed goose is operated by twisting the ring on top and opening a chamber where the operator can place low or high numbers. It has a partial set of wood keno balls. Kewnig was one of San Francisco’s premier knife makers who also sold sporting goods. He worked with John Meyer, a well-respected ivory turner, before going off on his own. The available pair is the only known set of keno gooses marked with his name. The auction also offers gambling posters, vending machines, casino and poker chips, and ephemera. Visit Potter & Potter Auctions for more information on the upcoming Gambling Memorabilia sale and to place a bid.