What kind of table is this

[Agjelaj]

Hello,
I just purchased my home and it came with this table but I am not sure what kind it is. There are no markings on it. Does anyone know what kind of table it is or it’s value? Thanks!

 

[Lawnboy77]

I'm pretty sure that's a Brunswick Challenger (circa late 1930s). I think it's been refinished and when they did that they removed the stainless steel strips on the legs and aprons. You can see where the three strips used to be on the legs. Those were very poplar at many pool halls across the country back in the good old days.



https://s3.amazonaws.com/pastperfectonline/images/museum_131/001/20110024-13.jpg

The value would be hard to pin point by just going off a few pics like this, but a good ball park value if it's a functional table would be around 1500. These old T-rail tables are gorgeous pieces of history, but typically are money pits to get up to standards that most serious players want, therefore the value tends to be very low.

 

[Ssonerai]

I'm not a table pro, but i think Lawnboy is being generous.
He covered all the details, Including the possible "risk" of effort (unknown) to make it play near to a modern table.

As he says, nothing really wrong with it at all.
It even appears you might have the Brazilian Rosewood rails Brunswick often used back in the day. However, very few people are really looking for an old table. A "collector" would probably pass because the trim will never be found to make it original.

To my eye, it is in attractive shape, at least. Just don't take it apart before you sell it. Tighten up the rails, keep a good light on it have a couple decent house cues available, and maybe someone will pay more than $1,000. If you take it apart and store it in the basement or garage, it won't bring $500.

smt

 

[Lawnboy77]

Yeah I could be slightly generous with that estimate, but I think these classic tables tend to be undervalued. My family came out of rural Kentucky, where these were in just about every small town room in the area, furthermore my father was a furniture builder, so I can really appreciate the workmanship, and the over engineering that went into these old classics. Many of these old tables used woods that are now extinct, not this particular table, but still something to think about when looking at these old BBC tables. I do think the rail caps on this table were available in either Walnut, or Brazilian Rosewood.

It's probably as much sentimental as anything else for me. Just a lot of memories with these old tables. I see that someone added a molding of some sort to the bottom edge of the frame. This is where customers would tap the butt of the cue on the table to tell the rack boy that the game was over and he would come over with his change belt and collect the coins from the loser and rack em up again. There was no gambling permitted in the Bible Belt, but it was standard rules that the loser always paid, and if there were a few players in a game of rotation it could get expensive for a 10 year old kid in over his head.

 

[garczar]

Yeah I could be slightly generous with that estimate, but I think these classic tables tend to be undervalued. My family came out of rural Kentucky, where these were in just about every small town room in the area, furthermore my father was a furniture builder, so I can really appreciate the workmanship, and the over engineering that went into these old classics. Many of these old tables used woods that are now extinct, not this particular table, but still something to think about when looking at these old BBC tables. I do think the rail caps on this table were available in either Walnut, or Brazilian Rosewood.

It's probably as much sentimental as anything else for me. Just a lot of memories with these old tables. I see that someone added a molding of some sort to the bottom edge of the frame. This is where customers would tap the butt of the cue on the table to tell the rack boy that the game was over and he would come over with his change belt and collect the coins from the loser and rack em up again. There was no gambling permitted in the Bible Belt, but it was standard rules that the loser always paid, and if there were a few players in a game of rotation it could get expensive for a 10 year old kid in over his head.

Here is a Challenger: https://www.billiardrestoration.com/antique-pool-tables/challenger.htm The one on here is part Challenger/ part who knows what.

 

[Ssonerai]

Lawn -

I agree with you.
There is something very classy about a well set up traditional high end table. They were top of the line performance in their day and long after, and can still be set up to play as well as anything (from what i understand). However, most people, and dare i risk saying it, even many table techs aren't prepared for the time and effort ($$$) to work over 80 or 90 years of gradual decline and neglect & bring it up to a level a competitive player wants to see. They look great in a home room, too - but even the cabinetwork to make one regain some of its original elegance is time consuming for many ($$$ if hired out).

I'm moving along restoring my wife's 1926 BBC Royal, so am sympathetic. But am avoiding doing too much tallying of time. It would get depressing.

smt

 

[Agjelaj]

Thank you everyone! Not sure what I’m going to do. I’m thinking of selling it but I love the look and I love playing on it so we shall see!

 

[angluse]

I believe what you have is a Brunswick 20th Century. The wood is veneered, whereas a Challenger has wrinkle paint.
The Challenger has slightly elephant legs (<10* if I recall), the 20th century is straight, but with a rounded outer edge and some trim near the bottom.
Looks to me like someone replaced the legs. Or, I suppose a Challenger could have had veneer added by some owner. No way a Challenger came that way from Brunswick, as it was offered as a lower-cost table.

I have a Challenger. My friend was second owner of a 20th Century.

 

[angluse]

Can't seem to edit earlier post..?

Early Challenger like my 1935 had exposed bolts/rosettes, later ones were hidden, like on the 20th Century (which my friend believed to be a 1940).

 

[Ssonerai]

To me it looks like a Challenger that someone stripped the red crackle paint off, (& the chrome) then stained and refinished.
More likely than swapping on a pair of legs?

All those tables were veneered, BBC just used cheaper/ non-"feature" woods for anything that got really dark stain or paint.

It appears from the catalog both models were available with BR rails.

smt

 

[angluse]

My mistake. Upon zooming the OP's photos, indeed that looks like plywood, and not the same grain as whatever veneer was used on 20th Century. Also, can see the slight elephant cut to the legs, which I had missed before.
Agreed, looks like a Challenger whose paint was stripped, then the plywood stained.