Identify Antique Pool Table with Marquetry

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1/22/2018 3:51:26 PM

Identify Antique Pool Table with Marquetry

I just bought a old pool table on Craigslist and I'm trying to find some info on the make and background on it.

I don't have much to go off of, there's no listed name or make. The guy I bought it from had a company tell him its probably a Brunswick between 1895 - 1905.

Its an 8' 4-piece (2") slate pool table. The legs are not original and the guy had thought there's a decorative small skirt piece missing around the edge. The numbers 5203 are marked on the inside of the table.

There is a name plate that reads "Q Master Detroit" on the rail.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

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• Pool Table Identification
• Pool Tables

Identify Antique Pool Table with Marquetry

Replies & Comments

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1. billiardsforum on 1/22/2018 7:58:19 PM

   That is a great looking pool table. Love the room it is sitting in as well.

   Few observations:

   1. The name plate most certainly doesn't match the era of the pool table. It is off by about 50 years I would say. The "B" on the left is a Brunswick Billiards logo. They introduced this logo in the late 1950s or early 1960s. I don't know what "Q-Masters" is, but a guess would be that it was a large pool hall who had made orders of Brunswick pool tables large enough to allow them to request custom name plates. Again, I think this plate didn't originally belong to this table though.
   2. I've looked through the Brunswick archives and couldn't find this particular marquetry pattern.

   And a few questions:

   1. Does it really have 2-inch thick slate (4 pieces)? Or was that a typo?
   2. Can you make out the full word in the black stencils? "Rear" or "Head" perhaps?
   3. It would be helpful to have a picture or two of the rails if you have them handy.
2. michjuli on 1/22/2018 8:42:39 PM

   I was mistaken on the thickness of the slate it's actually 1". There are definitely 4 pieces. The one side reads head but I can't make out the other. The rails have the numbers 5203 and 432 on them.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

3. billiardsforum on 1/22/2018 9:09:19 PM

   Brunswick round-head rail bolts would have been 14 threads per inch. That could be one indicator toward the brand name.

   By the way, you can get the tool you need for those round-head rail bolts from amazon.com.

   I suggest you email Ken Hash of Classic Billiards in Maryland and show him this post with all of the photos. If there is a guy who can help you ID this antique pool table, he is that guy. They specialize in antique Brunswick stuff, do tons of restoration work etc. He is always happy to help and provide free advice where he can. Probably one of the top pool table restoration shops in the country and they have a huge stock of the antique stuff at any given time. Good chance you can get some of the missing pieces from them.

   If that turns out to be a dead end, you can try Blatt Billiards out of NYC. Good chance they'll be able to ID it, and also a good chance they'll have one or more of the missing original parts you might need as well. They used to buy out all of the pool tables and some fixtures from the failing pool rooms of days past when they would go out of business. They too are easily the most prominent pool table restoration companies in North America e.g. all of the celebrities shop there, etc.

4. michjuli on 1/22/2018 9:52:03 PM

   Great, thanks for all the help. I'll update when I hear something.

5. michjuli on 1/23/2018 11:00:00 AM

   Here is Ken's response:

   Body looks to be from around 1880, possible it could be a Babcock or Benedict (upstate New York makers)... has style that leads me to them in particular.

   I also emailed Blatt Billiards.

6. billiardsforum on 1/25/2018 8:59:57 PM

   Great, thanks for the follow-up. Good info.

   I was able to dig up some more info on Q-Masters and though I am sure it's 100% unrelated to the pool table you have with the Q-Master name plate, it might help you track down some additional info.

   I'd guess it's an in-house nameplate created by Q-Master. Q-Master was a billiard supply company on McNicoles (Six Mile Rd) in Detroit and operated during the 1960s - 1970s and perhaps beyond.

   I believe Q-Master was owned by Bob Mullen who was also the chief editor for the then National Billiard News, a monthly newspaper-like publication to which I was a subscriber for a number of years. I purchased my first pool table from Mr. Mullen, a used GCI for $500 in early 1978.

7. michjuli on 1/26/2018 9:57:36 PM

   I think I just found it!

   billiardrestoration.com/antique-pool-tables/charles-schulenburg-inlaid.htm

   

8. billiardsforum on 1/27/2018 5:57:06 AM

   Unreal! Great find. The marquetry matches 100% I would say. I wonder if the original legs are there, and just covered up with the newer wood?

   I don't like the stain they used on this one. It hides the marquetry detail. Yours shows the inlay much better.

   I've heard that guy who runs that website you found - Billiard Restoration Service - has a bunch of experience in restoring Charles Shulenburg pool tables.

   Derrick Tiers
   (785) 632-5909

   He would probably be an invaluable resource if you are planning to restore the table yourself.

   What an amazing find - both the table itself and the match you just found on the manufacturer.

   They were really one of the better pool table makers of that era. So many came and went in a short time e.g. 1-5 years, but the C. Schulenburg Billiard Table Mfg co remained in business for over 50 years. They were a very early pool table company. They started up in something like 1852 (I have heard, anecdotally, as early as 1847) and stayed in business until about 1910.

   

9. michjuli on 1/27/2018 3:17:26 PM

   I had probably gone through 3000 + pics of old tables and searched dozens of different restoration sites so let's just say I was a little excited when I stumbled on it.

   That site is the only spot I could find anything on the Charles Schulenburg Inlaid table as far as the history and even just another photo of that table.

   Any idea if there's something else I can search to get some hits?

   I emailed Derrick and a few others so we'll see if I can get a response with some more information.

10. billiardsforum on 1/27/2018 10:01:11 PM

    I've reached out to David Bond who runs the "Chicago Billiard Museum" (his website - chicagobilliardmuseum.org - is currently offline for reorganization I believe). He mentioned he has a "file" on Charles Schulenburg - not sure what info he would have. I will let you know if I hear anything back.

    I just emailed you a file with everything I have in my file on the Charles Schulenburg Billiard co (including the stuff you found and shared). Hopefully you will find something of interest.

    I assume the item you would want is some brochure, advertisement, or catalog showing this particular table. I looked, but didn't find anything (though I did find a few others from C. Schulenburg Billiard Mfg).

11. michjuli on 1/27/2018 11:17:00 PM

    Thanks!

    This whole "treasure hunt" has been a lot of fun. I'm glad I found your site, it has been very helpful.

    I almost bought a more modern table, I'm glad I went this route. It's crazy to have something from the 1800s.

12. michjuli on 2/8/2018 7:08:42 AM

    Derrick got back to me regarding the pool table. When I asked where I could find some more info on Charles Schulenburg he pointed me in the direction of the Chicago Billiard Museum. Obviously with the recent news I'm not sure what's going to be happening with that site. When I asked him about value he said if I had all the pieces and it was professionally restored the table would go for $15,000 or less in a retail setting.

13. Jon Heywood on 8/25/2018 7:15:49 PM

    I'm not a regular here, but just found your post.

    I probably know more about C. Schulenburg than anyone in the country now. I've been compiling a database of all things related to this company for last 5 years. A few years ago I gave Chicago Billiard Museum an early dossier on what I had, I have much more now.

    I agree with others here that this is a reworked Charles Schulenburg pool table from around 1895-1900 based on a SN (serial number) that is is way up there in terms of it's place in sequence. I have some pictures of this model, same with original legs, etc.

14. billiardsforum on 8/27/2018 4:14:09 AM

    Hi Jon, It would be great if you could share the photo(s) you referenced. If you would prefer to email them, you can send to contact@billiardsforum.com.

    Any other info you wish to share on C. Schulenburg billiard tables or the company in general would be most appreciated as well.

    Also, the founder, owner, and curator of the Chicago Billiard Museum, David Bond, passed away a few years back, and I am not sure that it is being maintained as of this moment. As such, I would be happy to dedicate a section of this site to any photos, info, or other digital material you wish to send along.

Identify Antique Pool Table with Marquetry

• Title: Identify Antique Pool Table with Marquetry
• Author: michjuli (Michael Julien)
• Published: 1/22/2018 3:51:26 PM
• Last Updated: 1/27/2018 8:36:27 AM
• Last Updated By: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)