Gold Crown Barn Find

rexus31 said:

Thanks for the comments everyone! I'm planning on restoring the table as I feel it warrants it. Work has begun today. Really not concerned about my time as I enjoy making old things new again and I do not plan on reselling. This one is a keeper. As for the 1 vs 2 debate, my research has indicated the following:

1. As has been already pointed out, adjustable feet were available on the 1's

2. Early 1's had the plastic nameplate but due to the fragile nature prone to cracking, the metal nameplate was introduced somewhere in the 1's production run (most likely early on).

3. Figure 8 plates were replaced later in the production run.

4. This has been a hot topic all over the forum over the years. Whether my table has Brustone or slate, I don't know. What I do know is the tack marks from the original cloth are evident in the slate backing so my best guess is original playing surface.

There's a ton of information online (some contradictory) and what I posted up above should be taken with a grain of salt because no one definitively knows the production idiosyncrasies of a 50+ year old relatively mass produced item. Who knows, I could have a Franken-Crown, but every indication points to this table being 100% original. Whether it is a 1 or 2 is open for debate.

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iusedtoberich said:

I’m not a mechanic but from what I’ve read on here none of the modern cushions will fit a GC1 properly unless the wood rail is rebeveled at the modern rail angle. I’ve also read that the original monarch cushions can last 50 years or more.

That said, I like bucket pockets, while the OP wants tight pockets. So he will need new cushions anyway, and thus new bevel angles.

It will be fun to see the progress

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Lawnboy77 said:

I think you are absolutely right about the adjustable feet not being present on an original GC I, furthermore the rails don't have the figure 8 nut plates. It is my understanding that GC I's used figure 8's only. Not that it's a big deal though if it is a mix and match Gold Crown...still looks awesome and can be made to play perfect!

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playonepocket said:

The nameplate indicates to me, GCII. The GCI had the clear acrylic name plate.

The slate appears to be "slate" whereas the earlier tables had Brunstone.

Also, as others have mentioned the adjustable feet and no figure 8 nut plates in the rails allude to a GCII.

Brunswick did a lot of mix and match between all of the GC models.

Looks like it has good bones, should clean up nice!

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garczar said:

You can get new K55 profile rails that will work.

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maha said:

great deal for 400 dollars but still have to add in the cost of your time and cost of new parts. maybe worth it or not.

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realkingcobra said:

Adjustable feet came out in 63' when Brunswick changed the aluminum foot mold. The capture nuts used to replace the fig 8 nut plate also changed early in the GC1 production years.

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realkingcobra said:

Don't know how many times I need to mention this, but the ONLY change in the GC1 to a GC2 was the bronze coated feet and ball tray trim. And the GC2 was ONLY available in a rosewood paint stained finish. Every single change other than those listed above happened on the GC1's first, including the switch from the plastic name plate to the metal one. Even the GC3's first came out with the GC1 casting mounting hardware design. You would be right 99% of the time calling every older GC you see or run across a GC1 as the 2 only came out from 74'-76'....and was rosewood paint stained....not white, Gold, Blue, or Orange painted....those colors were GC1's exclusively!!

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rexus31 said:

Thanks for the feedback, Glen! In your opinion, is my find an all original GC1 down to the slate? What's your take on the Brustone vs slate debate?

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rexus31 said:

Productive first day. I got the pedestals, runner and bal rack box prepped for spot prime and paint and also got the skirts primed. I hope to paint the pedestals and runner tomorrow.

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rexus31 said:

My buddy (@pocket) and I stumbled upon a very cool find locally. We responded to an ad on Offer Up for a Gold Crown 1 for sale in a bowling alley 3 miles from my house. Upon reading the ad, they had two for sale for $1K each. Needless to say, we went to check them out. The tables were in what used to be the bar area of the bowling alley that had been drywalled off and under construction so the owner could lease it out as a standalone commercial space. The person selling them believed they were purchased new sometime in the early to mid '60's. We found them filthy with torn cloth but were complete for the most part except for one was missing the plastic skirts. I started negotiating with the seller (who was not the owner) and he immediately said he's authorized to sell them for $500 each but can't go lower. I explained to him they have good bones but are missing some pieces and it is going to take quite a bit of work to clean them up to make them playable and offered $300 each. He countered with $400 but would need approval from the owner. The approval came in short order and we were the proud owners of a pair of Gold Crown 1's for $400 each; less than the asking price for one. Upon tear down, it became evident these table were well cared for and had only been recovered once. The original tack marks and one set of staple marks in the slate backing can be seen in one of the pics below. Judging from that and the near pristine formica rail tops and counters, it appears these table have hardly been played on in some 50+ years. Now the fun begins. We both plan to extend the sub rails, new rubber and drop pockets and a cosmetic restoration. The aprons will be sprayed Brunswick Blue; shoutout to @Xianmacx for the paint codes as well as fielding countless questions on the topic of restoration/preservation. The pedestals, stringer, ball rack box and plastic skirts will sprayed Brunswick White. My buddy plans to keep his original and will respray everything Brunswick White.

I will update with pics throughout the course of the restoration leading up to final assembly.

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