ID Model of 1900s Brunswick 4-leg Pool Table

6/7/2021 8:19:09 PM

ID Model of 1900s Brunswick 4-leg Pool Table

I'd like some help identifying the model of this antique Brunswick pool table I recently inherited from my father.

My grandfather got it in 1950, without much information known about it. He was told it originated from the turn of the 20th century and had been refurbished after a fire in a billiard hall, but that is about all we know about it.

Someone cut the frame into two pieces. I'd like to restore its finish and fix problems in the frame and the first step is finding what exactly it is.

Here are some photos:

Disassembled frame and legs. The sides of the frame are curved, not straight.

A closeup of the plate from one of the short rails. The bottom line is hard to make out in the picture but it reads "BRANCHES IN ALL PRINCIPAL CITIES"

The frame placed on the legs. One of the steel plates holding the two pieces of the frame together is visible here.

A picture of the leg profile:

I've found a few models that if sort of looks like:

The Brunswick Sultana, but the legs aren't quite right - Sultana looks like it has very straight legs and these have a top cap and crown molding.
_{Source: billiardrestoration.com/antique-pool-tables/sultana.htm}
The Brunswick Newport, but those legs have bottom molding while these do not.
_{Source: billiardrestoration.com/antique-pool-tables/newport.htm}

I'm happy to take any other pictures that are needed for ID.

Thanks for any help you can provide to identify the model of this old Brunswick pool table.

csammis

ID Model of 1900s Brunswick 4-leg Pool Table

Replies & Comments

billiardsforum on 6/9/2021 5:38:43 AM
There are a few things about your pool table that are making me think it's a Frankenstien build. I mean no disrespect to your pool table.

It was very common for folks to combine pieces from various damaged pool tables. Especially those coming out of closed pool halls.

You mentioned it came out of a pool hall that had been destroyed by fire. I suspect that your pool table is a combination of two (or more) that were probably damaged somewhat. Notice the short sides are kind of "hacked together"? There's no way it would have come from the factory like this:

It's probably the "good halves" of two pool tables.

Given that someone did this, I consider it reasonable to believe that the legs, trim, and other parts may not be original.

It could be that the original legs (perhaps which originally had the moulding at the bottoms) were destroyed by either the fire itself or by a lot of water pooling on the floor when the fire was being fought.

The fact that it was "refurbished" means you'll probably never match it to a brochure or catalog image exactly.

Again, I mean no disrespect. It's a nice antique pool table and probably has some sentimental value to you as well.

The Brunswick Sultana model is probably the closest you'll get. I've been through all of the Brunswick catalogs from 1890 to 1930, and it's definitely the closest. Here are the Sultana model pages from the 1914 Brunswick Balke-Collender mail order catalog:

csammis on 6/9/2021 3:50:14 PM
Thanks for your response! No disrespect received at all.

I'm glad to have any information that can be pieced together (no pun intended) on the history here. I had no idea that it was common to combine pieces of damaged tables to create whole units but that seems logical given how expensive an object it could be. Certainly after a disaster any resale value is better than none at all for the pool hall owner! For me the table has sentimental and personal value and I'm not interested in trying to flip it or resell, so the fact that it's probably a Frankenstein build just makes it that much more unique.

Since the legs are the hardest part to match to anything in the catalog pictures I've seen it makes sense to me that they are most likely the result of refurbishment / replacement / damage. The cut in the frame is definitely not factory original but I'm not certain that specific feature is a result of piecing together multiple tables. The grain of the wood and the veneer look like they match too well on both sides of the cut to be from separate tables:

The story we had in the family was that the cut was the result of someone trying to make it easier to move by cutting the frame into 1/3rd and 2/3rds pieces. The columns of screws on either side of the fastening plates are definitely not the same, which to me implies that at some point someone took it apart at the plates and put new screws in on the side which was detached. It doesn't seem to have been done frequently though (thankfully) because the plate attachment is very solid in all three locations and there's no evidence that the screws have worn out the surrounding wood.

Based on your feedback I think we will start on planning a refinishing of the table based on the Sultana.

Thank you again!

ID Model of 1900s Brunswick 4-leg Pool Table

Title: ID Model of 1900s Brunswick 4-leg Pool Table
Author: csammis (Chris Sammis)
Published: 6/7/2021 8:19:09 PM
Last Updated: 6/9/2021 5:50:11 AM
Last Updated By: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)