I don't think the guy is necessarily "stupid" for buying this table for $73k.
Of course, none of us would, because we are much more knowledgeable of the game and what equipment will provide the most enjoyment playing the game we love.
He, on the other hand, was obviously going for something quite different.
He was probably looking to create a little wow factor for himself, and more likely, the guests who would come visit there and see this very novel table.
If he has an extra $73k to pay for a pool table of any kind, he may be pretty smart in some other areas of his life. Or maybe just lucky. :wink:
I was just out of the Army and bought a house in Florida with my gf and 2 boys. I was 22, it was 1979 or 80. I saw an ad in an Orlando newspaper for a guy who was looking to franchise his pool table biz - he was based in Santa Ana, CA. Basically, his deal was that he ran ads on SoCal tv and radio saying we will hand build you a pool table, deliver it, set it up in any room you want, you pick the cloth color, and we'll even play the first game on it with you, all for $695. And he added, if you aren't completely satisfied, no problem, we'll bring it back with no hard feelings at all. The next thing I knew was I was on a plane heading for Santa Ana to learn the biz from him. I got to see first hand, that this guy's business was booming. And yes, I not only learned to build them, I also got to go out with the boys on some of the deliveries.
The reason I'm getting into all of this is to tell you about who the 2 neighbors wre on either side of this guy. He was in a large commercial park with warehouse style buildings and on one side was Unser Racing. Yes, those guys. It was fascinating for this 22 yo boy to get to hear the insanity coming out of that shop. Is it possible for an engine to redline at 20k?

Those guys let me come in for a couple of looksies. Most impressive.
On the other side of the guy I was learning from was another pool table mfg. I wrote about this here on az before. Their name was Rennaissance Billiards and when I tell you these tables were incredible, it doesn't effectively convey just how spectacular these tables were.
They had old-school artisans chiseling and carving the woods in amazing and intricate detail -
But for me, the one that I absolutely loved, was a
CLEAR LUCITE table with purple cloth and, yes, ball returns. They showed me that this table had just been featured in Playboy magazine. I wanted it! Of course, this is coming from the young man who had just bought a round red velvet, button and tufted bed with a freakin canopy from Levitz in Orlando. :grin-square: :grin: :grin-square:
I could never find pics of that clear table but I remember their telling me that it was being sold for $15k which, back in '79, was a lot of dough.
Below are a few "Renaissance" tables I was able to find and did post previously. While they may be over the top for many of us, just know that these were not cheap crap import-quality pieces. These were painstakingly carved masterpieces that reportedly played as good as they looked.
best,
brian kc