Vintage Minnesota fats tables

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
I have an old AMF Grand Prix but not for long (thanks to Mark Griffin for identifying it for me). Here's a clip of me shooting on it. You can't see the table perfectly in this video. You can see that somehow the previous owner lost one of the counters. At the time I thought I would be able to purchase a replacement. I've had no luck finding one.

The table doesn't look too bad in the video but it's seen better days. Someone busted up the rails pretty bad when they redid it. It's obvious whoever redid the table way back when didn't know what they were doing. When they put the feather stripping back on they wacked the heck out of the rails. Pretty much ruining them.. Plus the center slate is cracked from one side to the other.

Anyway, it has been a pretty good practice table for me but it's time to upgrade.

I bet they were pretty good tables back in the day.

http://youtu.be/drbbyFtAa3Q

No. That's not the type I am picturing.

Have you tried ebay for that counter. I have seen some but most were not round. In fact I don't recall seeing any round ones.

Thanks for the post.

Best Wishes,
Rick
 

Mr. Bond

Orbis Non Sufficit
Gold Member
Silver Member
for reference purposes
March 1976
1976_March5_Fats_ad.JPG
 
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Mr. Bond

Orbis Non Sufficit
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Silver Member
According to the westegg.com inflation calculator:

What cost $995 in 1965 would cost $7146.56 in 2012



SVB brand table anyone?
 

ridinda9

AKA: Sandy Bagger
Silver Member
American Machine and Foundry. . . . . and an anecdote about quality.

First, let me start by saying that I don't believe your Minnesota Fats pool table was manufactured by AMF, because they would have added their insignia to it somewhere.

But this post isn't about your table.

It's not even about AMF pool tables. (mostly. . . .)

It's about American Machine and Foundry, and quality.

or lack there of.

American Machine and Foundry manufactured complicated mechanical equipment. In the 1940s, following WWII (the big one!) the recreational desires of returning servicemen and their families led to a boom in demand for mechanical pinsetters and ball returns. AMF made a killing in this market, and began to expand into other facets of recreation for Americans.
Yes, they made pool tables. And volleyball sets. And Badminton. Even the perilous Lawn Darts.They wanted to serve every recreational desire you might have. . .
They acquired the Holiday Rambler motorhome company.
Then in 1968, they purchased an American icon. The last remaining motorcycle manufacturer in the United States.
Harley-Davidson.
They immediately changed the tank insignia to "AMF Harley-Davidson". (This is why I'm certain that regardless of branding,they would have gotten an "AMF" on there somewhere if they'd been involved).
They took the prestigious Harley-Davidson name and affixed it to an inferior line of gasoline powered golf carts.
Then came the engineering changes. In an effort to "streamline" production, (read : reduce production costs and save pennies), corners were cut in the manufacturing process. This led to, among other problems, the notorious "marks it spot" oil leaks.AMF's mismanagement of the brand led to dissatisfaction among the remaining executives within the Harley-Davidson division. They recognised that they still had a marketable product, and they had enough brand loyalty remaining to want to save the name.
In 1981, a group of Harley executives, led by Willie G.Davidson (then director of styling, and grandson of founder Bill Davidson) and Vaughn Teerlink (then corporate vice president of of the Harley-Davidson brand under AMF) began acquiring stock, until they had enough to force a leveraged buyout of the brand.
This was one of the first corporate grabs in a decade which became notorious for
leveraged buyouts.


As an aside, when people used to ask what the AMF on our gas tanks meant, the standard response was "Adios, M*therF*ckers!"















.
Then, in 1968, they purchased an American icon.
 
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Mr. Bond

Orbis Non Sufficit
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Silver Member
...the recreational desires of returning servicemen and their families led to a boom in demand for mechanical pinsetters and ball returns....

The pinsetter battle between Brunswick and AMF was EPIC.
(Who could develop a working, fully automatic, pinsetter first)
And for a short time, AMF was actually the victor.
But their victory didn't last long.


When AMF finally went under, their inventory of pool tables and parts ended up in the hands of the AE Schmidt company of St Louis. They are still there today.
 

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Elroy posted in the ask a mechanic sub and the first response was for him to post a pic, no insulting evals. yet, LOL.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=332467
I'm gettin' there. I don't own a smart phone. I found someone tonight who does. She photographed the tables tonight and sent them to my email. I'm trying to get them posted. I'm a technical nit wit who uses an iPad exclusively. I just started a thread called "having trouble on the attachments page." I'll get them here eventually.
 

rexus31

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm gettin' there. I don't own a smart phone. I found someone tonight who does. She photographed the tables tonight and sent them to my email. I'm trying to get them posted. I'm a technical nit wit who uses an iPad exclusively. I just started a thread called "having trouble on the attachments page." I'll get them here eventually.

It's pointless. I'll get the photos over here.

Which generation iPad do you have? It it's an iPad2 or iPad3, it has a camera and will take better pics than a phone.
 

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Which generation iPad do you have? It it's an iPad2 or iPad3, it has a camera and will take better pics than a phone.
I own a first generation iPad. C'mon, I'll admit I'm a technical nit wit but do you think I'm that much of a nit wit that I would own a 2nd or 3rd generation iPad with a camera, not notice this, and then have someone else come over and take photos with their smartphone? Then again; you don't know me.

I've made arrangements for someone who knows what they're doing to come over here Sunday. I plan on sending about 8 photos. 4 from on top and 4 while lying on my back underneath the table. Does anyone know how many photos they'll allow to be posted?
 

rexus31

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I own a first generation iPad. C'mon, I'll admit I'm a technical nit wit but do you think I'm that much of a nit wit that I would own a 2nd or 3rd generation iPad with a camera, not notice this, and then have someone else come over and take photos with their smartphone? Then again; you don't know me.

I've made arrangements for someone who knows what they're doing to come over here Sunday. I plan on sending about 8 photos. 4 from on top and 4 while lying on my back underneath the table. Does anyone know how many photos they'll allow to be posted?

You never know.
 

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm really not a computer nit wit

It's true I don't own a smartphone but it's not difficult to find someone who does. So someone with a smart phone took pictures last night and emailed them to me. Now it's pretty easy for me to get them from my email to the post, but I own an iPad with 3.2.2 on it. For those of you don't own an iPad, the iPad is on it's fourth operating system. 3.2.2 is the second system. In order to upgrade to the latest system it must be downloaded by connecting the iPad with a P.C. I don't own a P.C. Downloading can take a few hours, so I didn't want to go through the hassle of downloading on someone else's P.C.

There are more things I can't do every day on this thing and nothing will function on the "manage attachments" page or the "create an album page

I should have the pictures posted by Sunday night. I know you're all waiting with bated breath.
 

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do you remember the model? Was it a Gold Cup that looked like a Gold Crown with 1”slate ? Maybe it was “The Hustler or Pacer” They were built by Rozel industries.
Sorry I didn't get to this earlier. No. I don't know what the model name is, but I did a google search on all 3 of the models you mentioned. I could find nothing on the "hustler" or the "pacer," but I did find this on the "GoldCup." The Gold Cup is the table featured in the advertisement posted by Mr.Bond.
http://Forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=214897
 
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His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Here it is!

Finally; the by now infamous Minnesota Fats pool table bought in 1971 for $600 (3500 in todays money) A couple of amateurs are doing this, that's why i only have 2 pictures.
 
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lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Finally; the by now infamous Minnesota Fats pool table bought in 1971 for $600 (3500 in todays money) A couple of amateurs are doing this, that's why i only have 2 pictures.


lol, you know, after all is said and done, it looks pretty stout, HBE. Enjoy.

Lou Figueroa
 
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