new guy saying hi... and a question.

[islandtime]

New board member here.... a quick intro and then a question. I'm picking up the game after close to a nearly 40 yr layoff (yeah, I know, go ahead and snicker). Played hard from the mid 50's through the 60's... pretty sure I played in just about every room in NY/NJ area (mostly Queens and L.I.) and more than my share of gin-mill boxes. A lifestyle change (not to mention the need to feed myself) left the game behind. Been knocking around the Caribbean all these years, finally retiring to a small island in the Bahamas. Been lurking the board for close to a month and enjoying almost every bit of it. I'm sure I'll learn more than I can contribute but I'll do my best to be a decent "citizen".
Now the question: Recently one of the custom's officers told me about a table that's been sitting in their warehouse for a couple of years. Seems it was brought in by a hotel that went belly-up before they had a chance to pay duty and clear it. I haven't had a chance to see it yet but paperwork shows it to be a Valley coin-op 8 footer (I'm assuming I can remove the coin-op function). Long story, short... the duty/shipping owed is a tad better than 2 grand - I know I can get it for about $1500. Bearing in mind that any table I buy stateside will roughly double in cost when duty and shipping are added, and assuming the table is in decent shape, it doesn't seem too bad.
I own a small fishing lodge here so I expect the table will get plenty of play...
Bottom line - I'd be grateful hearing any thoughts, opinions or even warnings you folks can offer about this kind of table.

Looking forward to hanging out with you folks...
bob

 

[Gerry]

New board member here.... a quick intro and then a question. I'm picking up the game after close to a nearly 40 yr layoff (yeah, I know, go ahead and snicker). Played hard from the mid 50's through the 60's... pretty sure I played in just about every room in NY/NJ area (mostly Queens and L.I.) and more than my share of gin-mill boxes. A lifestyle change (not to mention the need to feed myself) left the game behind. Been knocking around the Caribbean all these years, finally retiring to a small island in the Bahamas. Been lurking the board for close to a month and enjoying almost every bit of it. I'm sure I'll learn more than I can contribute but I'll do my best to be a decent "citizen".
Now the question: Recently one of the custom's officers told me about a table that's been sitting in their warehouse for a couple of years. Seems it was brought in by a hotel that went belly-up before they had a chance to pay duty and clear it. I haven't had a chance to see it yet but paperwork shows it to be a Valley coin-op 8 footer (I'm assuming I can remove the coin-op function). Long story, short... the duty/shipping owed is a tad better than 2 grand - I know I can get it for about $1500. Bearing in mind that any table I buy stateside will roughly double in cost when duty and shipping are added, and assuming the table is in decent shape, it doesn't seem too bad.
I own a small fishing lodge here so I expect the table will get plenty of play...
Bottom line - I'd be grateful hearing any thoughts, opinions or even warnings you folks can offer about this kind of table.

Looking forward to hanging out with you folks...
bob

BOB!....DO NOT by any means touch that table.......I"ll come down and help you set it up between fishing and drinking outings! I am just trying to help you out so you dont get into any trouble. send me a plane ticket and it's game on

good luck with the setup....sounds like fun

Gerry

 

[Johnnyt]

Welcome Bob. I guess it's a good deal if you can't find a good used one local. Even one that needs cloth and rails might come out cheaper. Good luck to you anyhow.

PS. Where on Long Island did you use to play? Johnnyt

 

[islandtime]

thanks for the welcome, Johnny... yes, finding a table here and avoiding the grief that comes with shipping something that big is high on my list! And, as you said, even bringing somebody over to replace rails and cloth would be easier than getting a table shipped over!
Been a long time and names are a little fuzzy but I played a lot in 2 rooms in Hempstead... one was called House of Billiards and the other was a small room over the Florsheim shoe joint and across the street from the Hempstead theater. Also spent a lot of time in Levittown... think it was called Golden Cue then (on Hempstead Turnpike). May be confusing the name with a room in Queens on Queens Blvd. that I also played. Haven't been back to NY for over 30 yrs...
You know LI?

bob

 

[islandtime]

Plenty of rum and fish, Gerry
bob

 

[av84fun]

Islandtime..."I'll learn more than I can contribute but I'll do my best to be a decent "citizen"."

Oh don't be that...you won't fit in at all! (-:

Welcome to the forum!

 

[BPG24]

Welcome to AZB...

 

[tpdtom]

Hey Bob...Welcome back ! I'm back myself after a 25 year lay-off .

I'm pretty familar with that table and I can promise you that it can take a lot of play. The slate bed will last, and the frame will outlive you if you don't abuse it. You will have to find a decent mechanic there, but even you can learn to do that yourself later. Sounds like it's well worth it to me. Good luck...Tom

 

[Thunderball]

Oh don't be that...you won't fit in at all!

No sheiaatt.
Whats this guy been reading?


Welcome Bob...You'll be glad you got involved.
Tball

 

[Tim5000]

Welcome Bob. Now you just need to find an avatar. Rodents seem to be pretty popular here, but most of the good ones are already taken; Dramatic Prararie Dog, beer-drinking squirrel, and of coures my Cuetec-eating beaver (I know beavers aren't rodents) Anyway good luck and here are a couple of suggestions for avatars...

View attachment bald-monkey.bmp

 

[Scott Lee]

Welcome to the board Bob! The rails on Valley tables just screw on, so they would be quite easy to replace, if you need to. You can buy them stateside, via the internet, with cloth already on them, and have them shipped to you. Hardly any weight, and they don't cost much, so the duty shouldn't be too terrible. The bed cloth is just glued on (with spray glue), and is very easy to replace too. If it's just been sitting in a warehouse it might still be in "new" condition. If not, it won't cost you more than a few hundred dollars to replace the cloth and rails...and you can easily do it yourself. Like tom said, that table will last forever!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

, even bringing somebody over to replace rails and cloth would be easier than getting a table shipped over!

bob

 

[poolcuemaster]

Welcome to AZ and it sounds like a better deal than buying a new 9 footer and paying all the cost on top of the table price. Offer them a thousand or twelve hundred and go back home like I do at the car lots, and they will call you before you get back home. It sounds like it's not doing them any good, so good luck and keep us informed. By the way I have 85 rods and reels to sell since I quit fishing, mostly striper size high quality stuff. Boxes of striper and bass tackle also.--Leonard

 

[Johnnyt]

thanks for the welcome, Johnny... yes, finding a table here and avoiding the grief that comes with shipping something that big is high on my list! And, as you said, even bringing somebody over to replace rails and cloth would be easier than getting a table shipped over!
Been a long time and names are a little fuzzy but I played a lot in 2 rooms in Hempstead... one was called House of Billiards and the other was a small room over the Florsheim shoe joint and across the street from the Hempstead theater. Also spent a lot of time in Levittown... think it was called Golden Cue then (on Hempstead Turnpike). May be confusing the name with a room in Queens on Queens Blvd. that I also played. Haven't been back to NY for over 30 yrs...
You know LI?

bob

I spent 40 years on LI Bob. I played in almost all the rooms Queens to Riverhead. I owned a room in East Islip. But I was really just a good bar box player. I loved pool, but didn't get in the box with the big boys much. My poolroom game was 3 cushion and 14.1 and of course 8-ball with the big QB in the bars back then. I never made the next step to pro because I never met a party I didn't want to be part of. Johnnyt

 

[islandtime]

Johnny, know what you mean about the party thing... may well have had something to so with my present day memory flop!
Do you remember the Levittown room on HempTurnpike, was on the N side, was it the Golden Cue? BTW, the shoestore under the room in Hemp was Flagg Bros not Florsheim... maybe the memory is returning after all
bob

 

[Johnnyt]

Johnny, know what you mean about the party thing... may well have had something to so with my present day memory flop!
Do you remember the Levittown room on HempTurnpike, was on the N side, was it the Golden Cue? BTW, the shoestore under the room in Hemp was Flagg Bros not Florsheim... maybe the memory is returning after all
bob

I played in both those rooms a few times. Not sure of the names tho. After the "Hustler" came out I couldn't keep track of all the rooms and their names on the Island and Queens. Johnnyt

 

[beav99_4life]

Bob,
Welcome to the forum and good luck with your new addiction. This place can be like a drug (or virus sometimes, lol). But enjoy your time here and maybe a few of us will come hang out in paradise with ya. Good luck with the table.

 

[Jeffrey Gale]

Johnny, know what you mean about the party thing... may well have had something to so with my present day memory flop!
Do you remember the Levittown room on HempTurnpike, was on the N side, was it the Golden Cue? BTW, the shoestore under the room in Hemp was Flagg Bros not Florsheim... maybe the memory is returning after all
bob

I still play in this room when I visit Long Island on Hempstead turnpike, and it's called Leisure Time. The Golden Cue was on Queens blvd. and is closed now. I lived on Long Island for 40 years and also played in every room on the island, and now live in Brazil. Welcome to AZ.

 

[OnePocketChamp]

Pool in Brazil

I was in Rio back in the late 60's and loved the city, you have a great home room. I've got an idea!!!!! Front me the airfare from Dallas, Texas and I'll come down for a week and we'll play some one hole, maybe hit the beaches, drink some exotic Brazilian cocktails and tell each other great stories (lies) of all our pool victories. LOL

 

[Black-Balled]

I...I... I never met a party I didn't want to be part of. Johnnyt

I think I saw you there!

 

[bigskyjake]

Welcome Bob. Now you just need to find an avatar. Rodents seem to be pretty popular here, but most of the good ones are already taken; Dramatic Prararie Dog, beer-drinking squirrel, and of coures my Cuetec-eating beaver (I know beavers aren't rodents) Anyway good luck and here are a couple of suggestions for avatars...

View attachment 55984 View attachment 55983

Tim Tim Tim, beavers are rodents son
Bob, never discount the power of the sea otter

Badgers work too