Ivory Billiard Balls

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rissile1986

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Hi There, I'm currently looking at an old billiard table (1930's?), the table comes with some old looking balls. Do you think they are ivory?

 
Yes, there are definitely ivory balls in there. Due to the glare on some of the balls, i can not be sure of all of them. I believe the majority are ivory.

The red ones are easily identified. The balls were basically dyed with color and is now wearing off. A very nice find!
 
Hard to tell accurately from the photo, but several of them appear to be ivory balls. If that's the case they may all be ivory. Good find!
 
Notice the very distinct grain pattern on the balls on the left and the middle two balls in the third row. While the pattern is less noticeable on different quality balls, it never changes. In my opinion there are definitely some balls in there that are not ivory.

I count six in the box and the other red ones as ivory that i would bet money on as being ivory. The other ones i would go the other way without close up pics.
 
scruffy1 said:
Notice the very distinct grain pattern on the balls on the left and the middle two balls in the third row. While the pattern is less noticeable on different quality balls, it never changes. In my opinion there are definitely some balls in there that are not ivory.

I count six in the box and the other red ones as ivory that i would bet money on as being ivory. The other ones i would go the other way without close up pics.
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I was just getting ready to say they could very possibly be all ivory LOL. Anyhow, from the pic, it looks as if at least some of these are for sure ivory. I would love to come across a find like that.
 
Here is a good picture of an ivory billiard ball from Deno Andrews' site.

There are several features clearly visible that are typical of used ivory balls:

1. The generally circular pattern of cracks formed from small scalloppy cracks. These fill with chalk and are dark blue.

2. The small dot in the center of the circular pattern. This is often in an uncracked region as is the case in the picture. This is the center of the tusk and is referred to as the "nerve canal." On carom balls, one of the cue balls was marked with two black dots, and that was done by inlaying some kind of black material into a hole drilled at the nerve canal.

3. The fainter cross-hatch pattern especially visible at the top of the ball in the uncracked regions. This is the grain of the ivory. It is very good indicator that a ball is ivory, especially if the ball is unused.

4. Radial cracks -- that is cracks at right angles to the generally circular pattern.

Another test is to touch the surface with a red-hot pin. Ivory will produce a burnt-hair smell. You will get a similar smell if you are playing with an ivory ball and miscue, but you have to smell the miscue spot quickly. You may get some funny looks if you are not alone when smelling the balls.
 
Bob Jewett said:
Here is a good picture of an ivory billiard ball from Deno Andrews' site.

There are several features clearly visible that are typical of used ivory balls:

1. The generally circular pattern of cracks formed from small scalloppy cracks. These fill with chalk and are dark blue.

2. The small dot in the center of the circular pattern. This is often in an uncracked region as is the case in the picture. This is the center of the tusk and is referred to as the "nerve canal." On carom balls, one of the cue balls was marked with two black dots, and that was done by inlaying some kind of black material into a hole drilled at the nerve canal.

3. The fainter cross-hatch pattern especially visible at the top of the ball in the uncracked regions. This is the grain of the ivory. It is very good indicator that a ball is ivory, especially if the ball is unused.

4. Radial cracks -- that is cracks at right angles to the generally circular pattern.

Another test is to touch the surface with a red-hot pin. Ivory will produce a burnt-hair smell. You will get a similar smell if you are playing with an ivory ball and miscue, but you have to smell the miscue spot quickly. You may get some funny looks if you are not alone when smelling the balls.
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Thanks for the good information Bob. I want you to know all my balls are ivory, and NO, you don't get to inspect them! :eek:
I know I'm weird but it's genetic, so I can't help myself.
 
BTW, if you want an ivory cue ball for pool, it might still be possible to get an old carom ball which is about 3mm larger than pool balls, and have it turned down to the right size. The last time I asked A. E. Schmidt they wanted $80 to true an ivory ball. They were the last company in the US selling full sets of ivory carom balls, which I think they did into the 1980s, and the last place to get your balls turned down when they got lop-sided. I sent my set in once.
 
I suggest you do not try to play with them as they can break easily after years of non use. One thing that can help is to handle them a little each day, the oils from your hands will rejuvenate them and help to seal small cracks and some of the crazing and make them a lot nicer looking. They were selling for about 75.00 each before the economy got shaky. Can you see any numbers on any of them ?
 
You will see a little dot on all ivory ball like the picture posted b from Deno Andrews site. You can also tell by the patina in the balls.
 
bobroberts said:
You will see a little dot on all ivory ball like the picture posted b from Deno Andrews site. You can also tell by the patina in the balls.
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Not all of them have the nerve canal. Some tusks were quite large and balls would come from the outer diameter of the tusk. Balls were graded accordingly to condition and part of the tusk they came from.
 
Thanks everyone, i have not got the table and balls yet, i plan on buying it in the next couple of days. Just wanted to make sure they were ivory, otherwise i'd probably not buy the table. The owner knows nothing about the balls, just they are old. I'm confident with scuffy and Mr.hoppe experience that at least "some" are ivory, thats good enough for me to purchase. I'm in Australia, which is a long way from you guys. Is trading allowed on this forum?

Thanks again :)
 
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