Antique Sandford, Bell & Lahm Pool Table ID
9/7/2020 11:08:25 AM
Antique Sandford, Bell & Lahm Pool Table ID
We bought a house with a pool table in the basement and would like to find out what type it is.
It is an 8-foot pool table. The name plate says:
Fast Cushions
Opposite Wanamakers Sanford, Bell & Lahm
New York
61 Fourth Ave
Antique Sandford, Bell & Lahm Pool Table ID
Replies & Comments
- RayMills on 9/7/2020 3:46:01 PM
I couldn't find anything on this site about Sandford, Bell & Lahm pool tables, but the Google search had many listings from antique dealers and such.
There's a Craigslist ad from a month ago in Central New Jersey where a man was selling 9 S.B.L. and Brunswick pool tables which need restoration -- the lot for free! One of the antiquers posted a $2,000 price.
Beyond that example, his ad said there was a Wellington model and a Mission model, but I didn't see any company listing to confirm their selections.
Apparently they were made in the 1890's, so antique dealers might be your best source of info.
- billiardsforum on 9/30/2020 4:22:09 PM
There isn't much material available unless you go to one of the major U.S. libraries, a few of which have an 18-page catalog with prices.
The "style" of this pool table is commonly referred to as the "Narragansett" style (the actual model name of Brunswick's version of this style of pool table). The Sandford, Bell & Lahm version of this style pool table was, I believe, called "The Brooklyn Bridge". (I found this reference on the website of Albany NY's Bankshot Antiques - if anyone would know, it's these guys).
Here's a restored Sandford, Bell & Lahm "Brooklyn Bridge" pool table:
We were also able to find a good deal of info on the company itself:
Founders of Sandford, Bell & Lahm pool tables (as recorded in a 1909 company directory):
- Mark E. Sandford
- Arthur G. Bell
- Peter Lahm
Here's a New York Herald newspaper ad for Sanford, Bell & Lahm from 1912:
I did find that they were, circa Feb 1912, owned (in part or in whole) by the J.M. Brunswick Balke Collender Company. Here's a document from Brunswick's archives showing the ownership by Brunswick executives.
And here's an ad from 1907-1908 YMCA year book:
Antique Sandford, Bell & Lahm Pool Table ID
- Title: Antique Sandford, Bell & Lahm Pool Table ID
- Author: jae
- Published: 9/7/2020 11:08:25 AM
- Last Updated: 9/30/2020 4:26:42 PM
- Last Updated By: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)