Advanced technologies used to study human history may not be enough to solve the mystery behind an early 20th century roulette wheel. That’s why researchers at the University of South Florida’s Institute for Digital Exploration (IDEx) in Tampa are turning to crowd curation to help identify the peculiar artifact.
They’ve created a 3D model of the roulette wheel that’s long been stored in the USF library’s Special Collections Department. It was donated in the late 80s by the late historian Tony Pizzo, who passed away in 1994. But no one has known what it was used for and how it came into Pizzo’s possession.
The all-aluminum lamp stands 19 inches tall with a star, skull-and-crossbones and the numbers 1-16 painted in random order along the bottom of the shade. Screws allow for it to click between numbers as it spins.
They’re now circulating the interactive image via social media to help garner attention from the public and get some answers.
“The artifact has been created in very amateur fashion, reusing an actual lamp in order to create a mixture between a carnival wheel and a crude roulette,” said Davide Tanasi, PhD, assistant history professor at the University of South Florida College of Arts and Science and IDEx director. “It is hard to say how it was used to gamble and what were the rules to be, the only chance to know it is to turn to the memories of the online community.”
Tampa has a long history of illegal gambling and organized crime, particularly in the 1920s. It’s possible the roulette wheel was confiscated during a police raid since the device is portable and easy to hide.
IDEX is sharing the 3D model on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram under the handle @IDEXUSF.