Help identifying this pool table

mwilly

New member
I recently purchased a house and this 9x5 pool table was left by the previous owner. I contacted a company to come remove it and they told us it was an antique and would cost ~$1000 to remove due to its intricacy/weight. Now I’m wondering what kind of table it is and if it is worth any money to sell, rather than paying someone to remove it. Reverse image search pulls up Brunswick pool tables but the name plate says Alter Brothers, thinking this may have been swapped out. 1892 stamped into bottom in multiple places. Bolt has letter “B” on it.
 

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you should get paid for that table and more than a few thousand dollars.
that table in perfect condition is a 10,000 dollar table.

the name plate was probably the company with the distributor ship in the area.

just my guess.
 
Brunswick most likely acquired Alter Bros. at some point. I have not been able to find a list of companies they purchased.
 
It was very common for local companies back in the day who did repairs or maintenance on tables to switch out the nameplates with their own to get repeat business at a later date. I used to have a 10 foot snooker table made in 1966 by Victor in Philadelphia, but the nameplate on it said Charlotte Billiards Company. There is a 9 foot Victor that is identical to the 10 footer I had right now in a bar about 3 miles from my house and it also has Charlotte Billiards Company on the nameplate. After a lot of research I eventually found out that Charlotte Billiards never manufactured tables, but they did sell new and used tables and at least some of them had their nameplates on them in addition to the switching at repairs if the customers allowed it. I stumble onto a Victor Billiards brochure from the mid 60's on an antique billiards site online and it happened to have so vert good pictures of the exact 10 foot table I had at that time as well as the option for a 9 foot pool table like the one here in the local bar. That table looks a lot like the old Brunswick Kling to me but they had other model with the fat legs as well. There may be markings on the timber or slate that could help you identify it.
 
Where are you located? Do you play pool? If you are interested in selling, there is a "For Sale Items" section which is a sub forum of the "Wanted/For Sale" Forum which is the third one down in the Main Category.
This place functions much in the manner of a brick and mortar pool halls -- put in a little time, listen, and its not hard to figure folks out. I hope that you will find, as I have, that most of these folks are the most knowledgeable and accommodating you will ever run into. Good luck.
 
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First - no one should charge you to remove the table - it has resale value of a minimum a few thousand dollars or more. Second, most probably a Brunswick with a nameplate switch due to a former repair , reconditioning, or from a retail table dealer - nameplate switch probably 1920s/ 30s. Third - you can try to sell locally on your own via this site, Facebook, Craigslist, or contacting local billiard table supply house - look up via internet.
 
I would guarantee that company that wanted 1k to remove it would then resell it for ever last nickel they could squeeze for it. Removing it for free should have been the least they could have offered.
 
I would guarantee that company that wanted 1k to remove it would then resell it for ever last nickel they could squeeze for it. Removing it for free should have been the least they could have offered.
Though that company maybe has a lot of tables it could 'resell'.

Businesses have costs and when you hire them, paying is part of the arrangement.
 
Though that company maybe has a lot of tables it could 'resell'.

Businesses have costs and when you hire them, paying is part of the arrangement.
You're right. I'm just soured on the cost of everything these days. I was charges $1,600 to remove an outdoor hot tub (and that was my cheapest quote). I just can't wrap my head around what inflation has done to us.
 
Brunswick most likely acquired Alter Bros. at some point. I have not been able to find a list of companies they purchased.
no. re-labeling was very common back in the day. Co's would buy a table from B'wick and modify and put their name on it. Also re-finishing then re-badging was common as well. Not many co's had the factories/resources of B'wick in their heyday. They were like the GM of pool tables.
 
You're looking for a needle in the haystack buyer. Most players today want a modern table, because they play better than the antiques.

Put me down for if you want to actually sell-thru this table, and not sit on it for 5 years, your price would be $1000, with the buyer handling the dismantling/moving.
 
You're right. I'm just soured on the cost of everything these days. I was charges $1,600 to remove an outdoor hot tub (and that was my cheapest quote). I just can't wrap my head around what inflation has done to us.
Hazards of an affluent society.
You still got money? Squeeze ya again!

Iiss fugged up, for sure.
 
If I were you, I would take a lot of pictures and then post on FB marketplace. dismantle the table yourself and move it to the garage. The slate is not heavy to move with two people, even down stairs. It is just like moving any other piece of furniture. (It is extremely awkward to move by yourself however). Leave it there in pieces ready for a buyer pickup, and you’ll get your room space back to do what you want with it. Someone will buy it within a year.
 
Should have said it earlier: the used pool table us highly dependent upon location. Where one is located determines market factors -- supply, demand, and thus, price. There is also a niche market for retro tables that one can discern more fully from other websites but not so much here. As someone said earlier, most folks are looking for the performance provided by a Gold Crown or Diamond.
 
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