Gold Crown Barn Find and Restoration
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. Here are some pics:
I will update with pics throughout the course of the restoration leading up to final assembly.
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. Here are some pics:
I will update with pics throughout the course of the restoration leading up to final assembly.
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