CLEVELAND, Ohio – A rare letter from Eliot Ness – with illegal “lammer chips” - is up for auction.
The framed, handwritten one-page letter - addressed to Dr. Arthur Hagedorn, chairman and physician of the Cleveland Boxing Commission - includes eight lammer chips, which represent a gambler’s dollar amounts for their wagers. The chips are from the last Capone Mob raid.
Boston-based RR Auction is handling the sale. As of Friday, Nov. 5, bidding had topped $12,000.
The undated letter signed “Eliot” is on City of Cleveland, Department of Public Safety letterhead. It reads:
“I thought these chips might be appropriate as a curio in the ‘Cellar Hagedorn.’ These were seized by me on the last raid ever made on the Capone mob just before the Al Capone trial. They were an adjunct to a luxuriously furnished gambling room in connection with a night club called ‘The Cotton Club’ operated by the Capone mob. Merry Xmas.”
Deputy marshals and prohibition agents raided the Cicero, Illinois, club on March 12, 1931. Their takeway included gin, records, checks and IOUs. The speakeasy front served as headquarters for Ralph Capone, the impulsive older brother of Al and Frank Capone, according to the auction house.
In its coverage of the raid, the Chicago Tribune referred to Ralph as “public enemy.”
In 1931, Ness and his famed Untouchables cut a swath through bootlegging operations. A year later, Ness was promoted to chief investigator of the Prohibition Bureau for Chicago.
“These Illegal gambling chips are symbolic of Al Capone’s grip on the Chicago rackets and Ness’s mission to bring him to justice,” said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of RR Auction, in a release.
Ness began serving as safety director in Cleveland in 1935.
Check out the auction - which is set to end Wednesday, Nov. 10 - online.
I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.
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November 07, 2021 at 07:10PM
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Rare Eliot Ness letter up for auction, with money chips - cleveland.com
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