Do you gamble on Baseball? What I didn't know about my candy store in the 50s

Stone193

I know we're mostly a card forum.

However, I've always enjoyed bringing items that expand the "view" and hopefully bring a little added entertainment to our forum - this one is kinda for the boomers - I'm taking you back to the bygone era of the candy store - that haven of heavenly pleasures - candy - comic books - baseball cards - Wow!



Hi boomers!

So we headed to our favorite candy store for the latest Batman/Superman ("my" favorites) and a pack of Topps.

You went over to the boss and paid your 15 cents for the comic and pack...

What did you miss?

A whole lotta gamblin!

There may have been a covert acceptance of "book" for upcoming games and races - to be handed off to a "mob" runner who - posing as a candy salesman - picked up the book each and every day.

They may have had some punchboards in the background which would elude the "eye" of a 9 yr old and something I never saw before...

Baseball Tally Cards

I found these by accident and couldn't resist. I'm guessing they're a stealthy 9X4" since gambling was illegal? Also, based on participating teams, the newest these cards can be is early 50s.

The first one I picked up had no "rules" of play:







And here's the second one - which has instructions. It pretty much shows how the gambling is done.

Back in the 50s, and I'm not well read, so what I say is sketchy. But, the mob did an illegal lottery thru the use of numbers carried out in candy stores e.g. I want to say that's what "numbers running" was? I'm going to check that out. This is about the "tally" cards right now.

Commercial System Baseball Tally Card







I opened up one of the "tabs" on the first game:



Based on the instructions in the second tally card - I have both Washington and Boston.

The tabs are serial numbered - my take is so they can prove which "week" the contest was from. It appears the store owner would mark down the scores from that day on the card for people to view each day.

And if Wa and Bos of the American League scored the most runs, I get a "winning" share of the pool.

I find this immensely interesting. Just another facet of the American fabric that is Baseball and a different way it entertained us.

Thanx for viewing.

esquiresports

I had no idea. Very cool. I want to learn more about this.

MikeyP

Fantasy sports are much more fun, even though they are played on a computer and not in a candy store.

Dboneesq

Very interesting Mike ... thanks for sharing.

I do remember when I was a kid there used to be a "13 run" pool that the men in the neighborhood used to gamble on. (Maybe it was run by the local candy store - who knows? There were not any "official" tickets like the one you show.) Each participant would get a random team - only one person for each team - and each person would put up x dollars. The pool ended when one team scored 13 runs on a given day. The winner would get the money - sometimes it went on for weeks - and then a new game would be started.