Pool Ball Collecting.

[Ivanthesoso]

IMHO, thems some FUGLY balls!
Overpaid for them at $29.99!!!

Accounting for inflation from mid 80's till now the price would be $84.93.
Buy it now cost was $34.75+shipping=Grand total of $54.52.
I plan on using these as a table display set, however according to Mr K2Kraze in post #832 they are quite capable at their intended function.
I can't find any information about this set

Well I,m wrong about the time frame...1980's had no www.

 

[Meucciplayer]

Well I,m wrong about the time frame...1980's had no www.

Did not need that then. Usenet was a great place to find stuff from 1980 onwards, lots of helpful people and at least the first 10-15 years not a lot of bs (spam, political crap etc.).

 

[RobM]

Hi Everyone,
I'm wondering if you can help me identify a set of balls. I recently moved my grandfathers 110 year old table to my home from my fathers home. The balls were bought brand new in 1983 or 1984 when the table was moved to my dads house. My brother seems to remeber something about "Crystalate" but not sure. ( If my father were purchasing today he would probably buy Aramith Super Pro's or maybe Tournament's- He liked quality and would go for really good but maybe not go for the best...)
I've included photos of my baby() and the balls.
Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!!
Rob

 

[RobM]

PS The Measle Ball is New

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Hello, Rob.

Truly beautiful table, sir!

Alas, I’m unable to help with a ball identification, dear chap. Sorry. It’s quite the mystery to me… rather unusual colours and number font.

 

[23DenaliBDE]

Hi Everyone,
I'm wondering if you can help me identify a set of balls. I recently moved my grandfathers 110 year old table to my home from my fathers home. The balls were bought brand new in 1983 or 1984 when the table was moved to my dads house. My brother seems to remeber something about "Crystalate" but not sure. ( If my father were purchasing today he would probably buy Aramith Super Pro's or maybe Tournament's- He liked quality and would go for really good but maybe not go for the best...)
I've included photos of my baby() and the balls.
Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!!
Rob

View attachment 743320View attachment 743321

Wow that’s beautiful

 

[RobM]

Hello, Rob.

Truly beautiful table, sir!

Alas, I’m unable to help with a ball identification, dear chap. Sorry. It’s quite the mystery to me… rather unusual colours and number font.

 

[RobM]

Rubik,
Can you do it by elimination? In other words tell me they are not Aramith, X, Y, nor Z. Also have you ever heard of Crystalate balls?
Thanks again,
Rob

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Hello again, Rob.

Yes, sir, I am indeed familiar with Crystalate (and the later formula known as Super Crystalate) but couldn’t state with any authority whether or not your set was either of those unfortunately.

My personal opinion would be that the balls are not Aramith… the stripes in particular just don’t look like their style to my eye. To be honest, Rob, if it wasn’t for the straight underscores on the 6 and 9 and your own unimpeachable testimony going back to the 1980s, I would have probably leaned toward something much more modern.

All things considered, dear chap, if you really twisted my arm to make my best guess I would say EPCO from Massachusetts because I have seen them employ those rather unusual and distinctive colours before… but the truth is I just don’t know.

Best wishes.

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Regards further elimination of other notable manufacturers active in the 1970s and 1980s… in my view, Rob, your set is also not from Raschig or Hyatt.

 

[Rubik's Cube]

EPCO also have a penchant for extending the sweep of their 3s and 5s, just as is present in your set.

Here is an example of that, dear chap…

 

[RobM]

Rubiks Cube,
Thank you for all the info!!! I'm still looking through my father's basement to see if I can find the box but no luck yet

On a happier note, I just picked up a set of Aramith Tournaments for a GREAT Deal!!! 239.00Euros (about $260. US dollars) from a company called Kozoom out of France. NO shipping, tax etc. DHL shipped to New York in 5 days!!! Can't wait to get home and try them out. I'm sure they will take me directly from rank amature to ranked #2 or 3 nationally over night

 

[RobM]

I just found this set online and think it my be the same.....

Rubik's Cube, What do you think?? I polished mine up a lot and the colors are actually closer than my original photo shows them to be. I think the numbers look correct too.....

 

[Benelli]

I just found this set online and think it my be the same.....View attachment 748434View attachment 748435View attachment 748438View attachment 748439


Rubik's Cube, What do you think?? I polished mine up a lot and the colors are actually closer than my original photo shows them to be. I think the numbers look correct too.....

yeah, those numbers look spot on, and the slight color difference could be sun fade

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Great detective work, Rob!

And I agree, sir, they appear to be a perfect match.

 

[RobM]

Thanks for the replys! Glad to have figured it out.

 

[Knockout Pool]

Greetings Gentlemen,
I've been enjoying this amazing thread about billiard ball collecting for a long time now. I just finished reading the entire thing form start to finish, just to make sure I didn't miss anything. The content, camaraderie, and civility of this online community is unsurpassed, in my experience.

I was fortunate enough to have a 6-foot refurbished coin-op table to play on as a kid growing up in Erie,PA, and some of my favorite memories involved playing 8-ball with my Dad, brother, and uncle. I seem to have caught the collecting bug as of late, so I thought I would post a few pics of what I have so far. Nothing as grand or hard to find as the treasures lauded here, but they will serve as an introduction for now. Additions of Hyatts and Brunswick cents are forthcoming, and from there, who knows?

I also look forward to developing my meager skills and making a friend or two by joining my first league (APA) in Rockaway, NJ.

To the best of my knowledge, the collection includes (from top to bottom):
Aramith Premier Snooker
Cuemate by Vigma
Cue Elf (grey swirls)
Classic Sport
Hyatt "Fancy O's" (1930s clays)
Fei Ma
Xin Kang TV Pro Cup
Dynaspheres Tungsten
Dynaspheres Platinum
Dynaspheres Gold
Predator Arcos II
Aramith Premium

If I am mistaken about any of these, please feel free to set the record straight - I'm here to learn.

Thanks,
M

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Hello, Michael.

What a brilliant first post on the board.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through the entire thread. That is quite an undertaking and sincerely appreciated indeed.

You have a beautiful collection, dear chap. Being a part of the little community on here has certainly inspired me to collect, and it’s been a joy to chat with so many generous and like-minded souls.

Welcome to AZB.

 

[j13smiley]

I like the pic! Having then all side by side to compare is cool

 

[Knockout Pool]

Hello, Michael.

What a brilliant first post on the board.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through the entire thread. That is quite an undertaking and sincerely appreciated indeed.

You have a beautiful collection, dear chap. Being a part of the little community on here has certainly inspired me to collect, and it’s been a joy to chat with so many generous and like-minded souls.

Welcome to AZB.

RC,

Thank you for the warm welcome.

My compliments on your ingenuity and design skills regarding your "Roulette Pool" game, first presented to this group in post #1,608. How did you come by those incredibly realistic graphic designs to illustrate your complex new ball designs?? Mark me down for an enthusiastic participant ($1,000 contribution) towards making those gorgeous billiard balls a reality. I would consider it an honor to own several of my own sets from the initial production, and I have no doubt that they would only increase in value over time.

I must confess that I have been working on a similar billiards-inspired venture, on and off, for the past four years - a completely different game concept, of course. I too would require a novel set of game balls, and a unique scoreboard or virtual app for up to five players at a time. Shall we ignite a gaming revolution, akin to the explosion of microbreweries we enjoy today?

I am indebted to you and many other posters on this thread (K2Kraze, Boxcar, & Bob Jewett come to mind) for the prodigious amount of information provided about billiard ball history, manufacturing, pricing, and collecting, as well as for documenting other fine billiard games that have been invented. I hope to repay your generosity with an offering of my own some day - the wheels of the US Patent & Trademark Office do turn frustratingly slow, however.

Alas, I can't reveal details about game rules just yet, as I am working with a patent attorney to submit IP protection measures. The next mountain for me to climb is developing a website and social media campaign. Have no fear, I will certainly give advanced notice to the followers of this fine PBC forum about my offering when the time comes. Until then, I can only hope other pocket billiards aficionados will find the game as challenging and refreshing as I have!

Regards,
M.