Manufacture Date for "Corners" Table with Two Pockets

[RabbiHippie]

Corners was a predecessor of modern One Pocket. Chris Owen wrote an article on "The Game of Corners" that gives an in-depth history of the game. It's not exactly the same as One Pocket--the balls are racked at the foot of the table at the opposite end of the two corner pockets. This makes it more similar to the "Front-to-Back" version of One Pocket played by guys like Jersey Red.

The particular antique table below was still in use at the OK Bar & Billiards in Joplin, Missouri, on April 7th, 2021, when I photographed it.

Has anybody encountered one of these tables before? Any idea when it might have been manufactured? It looks like a Brunswick Wellington to me, but I'm not an expert on old tables. I'm also curious about how these tables were setup. Combination carom/pool tables were common in the early 1900s where the rails could be replaced but it seems like this would have to be something different.

 

[Lawnboy77]

Interesting, at first glance I thought that this Wellington had been modified, but after looking at this document from Brunswick I'm thinking this is what they call a "Combination" table built around 1906. They offered 3 different versions and 2 different sizes: Carom, 6 pocket, and Combination, which I believe is what we have here. Thanks for sharing! I love history!

Catalog, Mail Order - 1906 | Brunswick Billiards

brunswick.pastperfectonline.com

 

[fastone371]

So back in the day they would have racked on the end opposite the pockets??
That is a very cool looking pool table.

 

[RabbiHippie]

So back in the day they would have racked on the end opposite the pockets??
That is a very cool looking pool table.

That's the way the game of Corners was played, so it's not exactly the same as One Pocket. There was a game going on right before I took the picture. I could tell by the way the guys were shooting towards the "wrong" end that I would've been out of my depth if I tried to jump in.

Check out that link to the article about The Game of Corners I shared in the first post. A guy from Nevada, Missouri, who was very familiar with the game shared a lot of info on the subject.

 

[RabbiHippie]

Interesting, at first glance I thought that this Wellington had been modified, but after looking at this document from Brunswick I'm thinking this is what they call a "Combination" table built around 1906. They offered 3 different versions and 2 different sizes: Carom, 6 pocket, and Combination, which I believe is what we have here. Thanks for sharing! I love history!

Catalog, Mail Order - 1906 | Brunswick Billiards

brunswick.pastperfectonline.com

That it's a combination table repurposed for a "new" game makes the most sense, but I'm trying to visualize how the mechanics would have set that up. Seems like the billiard and pool long rails wouldn't be "mix and match" without a gap for the side pockets like you see in the picture.

Hoping some mechanic who's familiar with tables from this era can shed some light.