Gold Crown Variants

jviss

jviss

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Greetings,

I'm chatting with a guy who's selling a 9' Gold Crown. The discussion is difficult, I think he's either very old or somehow disabled. The only pic I have been able to see is very low resolution, but shows a table with white aprons and leg assemblies. I haven't been able to get the age, or the exact model number from him. I guess it will have to wait 'til I see it.

Was white a standard color for any of the GC models?

When I look at this, how will I determine the model? Is it on a plate or label somewhere?

Thanks,
 
PoolTable911

PoolTable911

AdvancedBilliardSolutions
Silver Member
jviss said:
Greetings,

I'm chatting with a guy who's selling a 9' Gold Crown. The discussion is difficult, I think he's either very old or somehow disabled. The only pic I have been able to see is very low resolution, but shows a table with white aprons and leg assemblies. I haven't been able to get the age, or the exact model number from him. I guess it will have to wait 'til I see it.

Was white a standard color for any of the GC models?

When I look at this, how will I determine the model? Is it on a plate or label somewhere?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

It is a gold crown 1
 
trentfromtoledo

trentfromtoledo

8onthebreaktoledo
Silver Member
Post the picture, just because he says its a Gold Crown, does not mean it is. I had a guy from Boston that fits that description trying to sell me what looks like a blatts billiards or irving kay GC knock off. More details and might save you some trouble.

Trent from Toledo


jviss said:
Greetings,

I'm chatting with a guy who's selling a 9' Gold Crown. The discussion is difficult, I think he's either very old or somehow disabled. The only pic I have been able to see is very low resolution, but shows a table with white aprons and leg assemblies. I haven't been able to get the age, or the exact model number from him. I guess it will have to wait 'til I see it.

Was white a standard color for any of the GC models?

When I look at this, how will I determine the model? Is it on a plate or label somewhere?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
 
jviss

jviss

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks! Yes, if it's original paint it would have to be a GCI, I guess.

Are these desirable tables?
 
jviss

jviss

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
trentfromtoledo said:
Post the picture, just because he says its a Gold Crown, does not mean it is. I had a guy from Boston that fits that description trying to sell me what looks like a blatts billiards or irving kay GC knock off. More details and might save you some trouble.

Trent from Toledo
Click to expand...

That's interesting, I had no idea anyone cloned Gold Crowns! I'll have to check it out.
 
jviss

jviss

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Wow, so you learn something every day! I had no idea. Come to think of it, he never said it was a Brunswick Gold Crown, just Gold Crown.

The pic is really terrible, super low resolution. I'll post some if he can send me an more, or if I go see it. (That's another red flag, inability to use a smart phone or computer or tablet, and send good pics.) He's asking $900.

I'm wondering; it seems the AMF table is a good one. (There's one on eBay right now, for $800, in Tempe, AZ.) And Blatt Billiards' website is impressive. Are these reasonable substitutes for a Brunswick Gold Crown?

s-l1600-5.jpg
 
S

SlateMate

Banned
you have to be careful when buying an old Brunswick. the last GCIII i bought IMHO had poorly machines slate. but it was all matching and had pins so i'm sure it was original. i got tired of fooling with it. i just bought an American Heritage table and the slate is machined very very well. nice crisp edges that meet at the seems nicely et.... so before you buy, make the sale contingent upon viewing of the slate THEN hand him the money.
 
jviss

jviss

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
SlateMate said:
you have to be careful when buying an old Brunswick. the last GCIII i bought IMHO had poorly machines slate. but it was all matching and had pins so i'm sure it was original. i got tired of fooling with it. i just bought an American Heritage table and the slate is machined very very well. nice crisp edges that meet at the seems nicely et.... so before you buy, make the sale contingent upon viewing of the slate THEN hand him the money.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Do you think the GCI would be generally higher quality? Did Brunswick go into a quality slump at any point in their history?
 
S

SlateMate

Banned
i do not know. i have played on flawless GCIII tables that were a joy but the one i had was a nightmare. the edge of the slate where they meet was not perfectly flat creating a disconcerting gap. i would have worked though that but i could NOT get the slate level all the way around. not all tables are created equally and the slate is key. you can get a fantastic table or a frustrating pos. i'm working on an American Heritage right now and the slate is a thing of beauty despite the fact that it's not considered a high-end table. i had a GCI that was plastered! used GC pool tables are a mixed bag.
 
jviss

jviss

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
SlateMate said:
i had a GCI that was plastered!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. By this, do you mean the slate seams were filled with Plaster of Paris? This was not only Brunswick's recommended material, but they supplied a package of plaster with new tables for this purpose!
 
bradsh98

bradsh98

Bradshaw Billiard Service
Silver Member
Any table that has spent time in a pool hall may be subject to damage, from repeated recoverings. That said, having a pool table in your home is better than not having one. It really comes down to preference.

The Brunswick Gold Crown is generally among the highest quality of commercial style tables. Gold Crown I/II and early III tables used cushion rubber (Monarch Superspeed) that is no longer in production. Because of that, there is no modern replacement cushion that is a direct replacement. While it is possible to use a modern K55 style cushion as a replacement, the nose height of the cushion will be low, resulting in a faster banking table, with a shallower than natural rebound angle.

Gold Crown III tables are of slightly lesser quality. There are known design flaws in the frame, as well as design flaws in the rails/castings. If an inexperienced installer has worked on these tables, there is a good chance that the table could have seen some damage as a result. The threaded wood inserts are junk, and do not require a lot of excessive force to be pulled from the wood. This often results in the castings being loose. Also, the casting design is much weaker than the I/II, which causes them to be easily damaged by heavy handed installers. Much of this damage can be repaired, though at a cost.

The point is, find a qualified installer to set up the table. Any table will play well, provided that it is set up by a good installer.

In regards to Plaster of Paris: it is now a thing of the past, for pool table seams. It tends to crack and crumble, leaving pieces under the cloth. A common modern-day alternative is beeswax. Some suggest Bondo, though it really is not necessary. Again, providing that you use a quality installer.
 
jviss

jviss

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thank you! That's interesting, about the rubber. I will search - is there a thread here that you know about on "recalibrating rails?" I can imagine what's involved. I did some research and was creating a 3D CAD model for a generic table, and clearly, the cushion nose height decision and selection of cushion profile (K5, K66, etc.) is a big factor.

For the GC I's, what is involved? Just cutting the rail, or perhaps building it up?

Thanks,

jv
 
PoolTable911

PoolTable911

AdvancedBilliardSolutions
Silver Member
bradsh98 said:
Any table that has spent time in a pool hall may be subject to damage, from repeated recoverings. That said, having a pool table in your home is better than not having one. It really comes down to preference.

The Brunswick Gold Crown is generally among the highest quality of commercial style tables. Gold Crown I/II and early III tables used cushion rubber (Monarch Superspeed) that is no longer in production. Because of that, there is no modern replacement cushion that is a direct replacement. While it is possible to use a modern K55 style cushion as a replacement, the nose height of the cushion will be low, resulting in a faster banking table, with a shallower than natural rebound angle.

Gold Crown III tables are of slightly lesser quality. There are known design flaws in the frame, as well as design flaws in the rails/castings. If an inexperienced installer has worked on these tables, there is a good chance that the table could have seen some damage as a result. The threaded wood inserts are junk, and do not require a lot of excessive force to be pulled from the wood. This often results in the castings being loose. Also, the casting design is much weaker than the I/II, which causes them to be easily damaged by heavy handed installers. Much of this damage can be repaired, though at a cost.

The point is, find a qualified installer to set up the table. Any table will play well, provided that it is set up by a good installer.

In regards to Plaster of Paris: it is now a thing of the past, for pool table seams. It tends to crack and crumble, leaving pieces under the cloth. A common modern-day alternative is beeswax. Some suggest Bondo, though it really is not necessary. Again, providing that you use a quality installer.
Click to expand...

Very good post Geoff. You are a great Technician & equally great human being. No Ego or know it all kiss assing with you. :thumbup:
 
S

SlateMate

Banned
Gold Crown I/II and early III tables used cushion rubber (Monarch Superspeed) that is no longer in production. Because of that, there is no modern replacement cushion that is a direct replacement.
Click to expand...
i called Brunswick and they connected me with a mechanic on staff. he told me that any genuine brunswick superspeed cushion will match the dimensions of the Monarch cushions. he specifically said that other brand K55 cushions will NOT have the same profile and will not play well. in fact, (if i remember correctly) he didn't even like to refer to The Superspeed cushions and "K55" profile for this reason. it was interesting.....
 
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S

SlateMate

Banned
Thanks for your reply. By this, do you mean the slate seams were filled with Plaster of Paris? This was not only Brunswick's recommended material, but they supplied a package of plaster with new tables for this purpose!
Click to expand...

no, large areas of the slate playing surface were resurfaced with plaster to make the playing surface more even. i just removed it with water and it was fine. who decided that it needed plaster is anyone's guess. maybe it did. i had to shim the slate in the center to keep it from sagging which fixed most of the issues.
 
S

SlateMate

Banned
For the GC I's, what is involved? Just cutting the rail, or perhaps building it up?
Click to expand...

hold your horses! don't overthink things.... as i posted above. i called Brunswick and they told me that any Brunswick Superspeed cushion will work on any Gold Crown including the GCI and GCII.
 
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