Identify This 8ft Brunswick Please

8/3/2016 2:43:56 AM

Identify This 8ft Brunswick Please

This pool table (which is listed on THIS site) is identical to one I am being offered.

Can anyone please tell me what model it is, and what years it was built in?

I know that it is an 8 foot slate pool table, and is 26+ years old.

serloren

Identify This 8ft Brunswick Please

Replies & Comments

billiardsforum on 8/3/2016 6:05:24 AM
This pool table is a 1960's Brunswick Celebrity model HY.

See this post for more info:

Value of 8 ft Brunswick Celebrity Model HY?

It is the original source of the picture you posted (and also contains more photos from the same user).

According to one retailer:

This was one of the first non-slate Brunswick pool tables. Many customer thought they were slate tables as they were not sold thru Brunswick dealer network but through department stores. There is little value to them today Some of the beds need to be disposed of thru a specialty service since it is actually made of encapsulated asbestos.

Here are the technical details from the Brunswick Billiards 1965 catalog:

The Celebrity is a pleasure to play. It features the Levelite bed, proved so practical and revolutionary and warranted for five years against warp or sag ... your assurance of lasting satisfaction.

Celebrity cushions are deluxe live rubber for true, fast rebound and the playing surface is covered with premium-grade gold cloth, adding a touch of elegance to the crisp white modern contemporary styling.

The white Conolite rails are color-coordinated to blend with any interior decor and are burn, scratch and stain resistant to assure years of lasting beauty and service. The Celebrity also features quiet automatic gulley ball returns, built-in score counters and a large, easy access end-box return.

The reinforced pedestal-type leg assembly provides essential strength and stability, while allowing for easy, "demounting" and portability. Sta-Level feet assure fast, precise and easy leveling.

Honeycomb (Levelite, 2 1/2" thick) bed construction with written warranty to assure flatness, providing you with professional billiards in your home.

Adjustable Sta-Level feet for fast and easy precision leveling for accurate ball roll and professional home play.

And a couple more Brunswick Celebrity pool table photos:

I've also read that some of the Brunswick Celebrity billiard tables were made with "encapsulated asbestos".

serloren on 8/3/2016 10:20:50 AM
Thanks so much for the fast and in-depth info. It does leave me with other questions though. The folks who have the table say they bought it 26 years ago when they bought the property they still live in, and while she didn't say if it was brand new at the time, I'd be hard-pressed to think they didn't buy new considering the property in question (these folks have serious money).
- Did they make this table up until about 1990 or so?
- If so, did it always have the composite top?
- If so, is it one piece, or three?
And if so, would it be worth the time and trouble as I have a pool table guy who quoted me (over the phone) a price to recover it, and to move it, that would be under $600.00 total.

Below are pictures (such as they are) of the table on site, I do not believe that it said "Celebrity" on the leg/stands, but suppose it may have been on the opposite end.

The felt on top has a rip in it, and I THINK if I crawl underneath it, I can see the top. How can I verify that it is a composite top rather than a slate top? Is all slate used one color (i.e, only in black/obsidian/etc), or were there different colors: beige, stone, white, at all?

Here are the pictures I managed to get. In the picture that shows the top (with the strewn poker chips on it), you can see the rip/hole in the red cloth near the end of table on the left hand side of the table. It is covered in dust and dirt as it is in a "loft" of sorts over an old garage - so it needs cleaned, but seems to be quite solid - though the sides are yellowing (aged plastic?)

She is a very nice lady who is selling their estate and heading to a high-priced condo village in Nashville by their grandchildren, and I am sure she'll let me back in to look at it further.

But, I mostly want to know how to best tell this stuff, and if it would be worth the $600.00 to move and re-felt it.

I very much appreciate all your help!

billiardsforum on 8/3/2016 12:54:55 PM
I am pretty sure Brunswick discontinued the "Celebrity" model after 1968 (more on that below).

For their Celebrity model, instead of slate, Brunswick used something they called "levelite" or "honeycomb" (I've seen it referred to as both of those things in reference to the Celebrity pool table). The Celebrity brochure from 1968 includes reference to the "Exclusive Levelite Bed".

Here is the Brunswick Celebrity 2 page brochure from 1968:

You might see a bunch of "classified ads" around the internet for these tables which say it has a one piece slate bed, but that is incorrect, and is misinformation on the part of the seller.

Apparently they are a beast to move (since the "Levelite" is a one-piece and is very heavy) so might be a good idea to get a quote in writing and make sure that it is final.

Here is a slideshow of one guy restoring a Brunswick Celebrity pool table. It might give you a feel for the construction.

As far as I can tell, 1968 was the last year that Brunswick stopped making the "Celebrity" pool table model.

In 1969, it looks like two very similar pool tables were introduced (still made with Levelite or "Perma-Level" beds). They were named the Centennial and Brentwood.

In 1970, another similar table was introduced called the Newport, which had real slate. Note they underlined "Genuine Slate" in the 1970 catalog:

My final advice is this:
- $600 seems appropriate for a tear-down, move, set-up, and new cloth and cloth installation, but I would always get a few more quotes.
- If you are going to spend $600 to move and set up a pool table, at least have a look around the local classifieds to see what else is out there, unless you are getting the pool table itself for free.
Hope this helps. Definitely let us know what you end up doing...

serloren on 8/5/2016 4:43:26 PM
Okay, I went back over and looked closer at the pool table.

It is indeed a Celebrity, apparently the last time it was assembled, it got turned around and the logo end of the base is at the opposite end from the ball holders, points dials, etc.

The base is one piece - assuming the "levelite" material you spoke of.

The pool table is dirty from sitting up in this loft for years - just dust and loose dirt - and nothing looks like it ever got wet or anything like that. It DOES need a couple of pocket liners.

I would say - at a guess - that having a 2.5" top (like it does - see pocket pic), that that alone went a long way toward keeping them flat - takes quite a bit to warp 2.5" material, especially is it remains set up for use over the years.

I think, if I find a couple guys, I can just remove the top of the unit from the base, and move it as two pieces. It really isn't very heavy all things considered, as I lifted the end of it off the floor fairly easily by myself (I bet the whole thing isn't over 125-150 pounds), I think two guys could walk it to the door easily, and lower it to two guys below (6 FT drop) outside. Could then flip it onto its top and lay that on top of my van, and just hold it with bungees to drive the 3/4 mile to my house on quiet suburban street (10 mph and it should be fine).

If I move it, that is like $350 off my quoted price (phone) to do it, BUT...I am concerned a bit about recovering as I haven't done it since I was about 18 (30+ years ago), and it isn't a standard slate set up. Would it be hard to disassemble enough to recover? Especially the rails to take off, as the plastic part under the chrome trim looks to wrap underneath and be held with a BUNCH of screws along the edge. Any info on doing that would be REAL helpful.

So, with that info added, and the added pictures I am including now...

Would you folks consider this a good deal (free!) even if I spent say $700.00 moving it and recovering it by a pool table guy? Would you suggest moving myself and recovering myself, or still having it recovered or....

Thanks a heap!!

serloren on 8/5/2016 5:10:46 PM
Could you provide a PDF or JPG scans of the manual for a Celebrity?

I'm hoping it would have detailed breakdowns for assembly/disassembly/installation.

Thanks!

serloren on 8/7/2016 4:33:27 PM
Hmmm...guess folks got busy. Looks like I am on my own...

user1513428170 on 12/16/2017 7:42:51 AM
Did you run into anything weird with disassembling a Brunswick Celebrity pool table?

I'm recovering one tomorrow night and I'm limited on time. It's also in a business so I won't be able to leave to pick up tools.

And help would be appreciated!

Identify This 8ft Brunswick Please

Title: Identify This 8ft Brunswick Please
Author: serloren (Loren Sanders)
Published: 8/3/2016 2:43:56 AM