I recently squired what I believe is an old coin operated pool table that I am trying to find some history on. Would anyone on this site be familiar with such items , any meads would be appreciated

 

I have a 7 foot "bar-box) pool table COIN OP part long gone
Local guys sold me the fabric and installed on to bumpers and slate
Most details I learned was from those guys in the business and some on the internet.............

Have fun

 

Most coin op pool tables were in bars and bowling alleys as I was growing up. Played many games 8 and 9 ball on them.

 

I don't know what kind of history you are looking for but, my Step-Dad and I recovered these tables as a side gig back in the '70s. As I recall, the one-piece slate was typically 0.250" thick and weighed in around 220 lbs. When disassembled, it is best to carry the slate on edge to reduce the chance of snapping it. in addition, you will want to wear gloves as the down force of that 0.250" thick slab can be quite uncomfortable if carrying any distance or up / down stairs.

Generally these were pretty standard in design so we pre-covered spare rails in the generic felt colors. Covering the rails was very time consuming. Speaking of which, I do not recommend that you cover a table yourself. This is not a good DIY project. Tools like multiple duck-bill vice grips are necessary and there is a "technique" for the proper stretching of the felt on both the slate and the bumpers. If incorrectly covered you will be greatly disappointed in the bounce and roll of the *****. Ever seen wrinkles on a pool table? A hack job is likely reason.

On a side note: Regulation tables hold 3-piece slates damned near an inch thick, around 180 lbs each. Thicker, shorter and more weight per square inch...I hated moving those damned things.

in any case, I hope this info helps. Good luck and enjoy.

 

Thanks for all the great info, finally got table apart and transported home , trying to determine age or make .
i have found no trade marks so far , it is a dime slot table . Any guesses on date made or make

 

WoW that thing has to be pretty old ONLY A Dime to play! I have never seen one that took less than 2 bits
Mine has cast corners above the corner pockets with makers name "United" It would be cool if you can ID that thing

IS Yours a slate top?? How big is the top length / width?? in the picture it looks like it may be "small" compared to the 6 7 and 8 foot tables I am used to seeing

Hope you have fun with your "find"

 

That one is very old, possibly 1920/30's based on the coin mechanism.

 

one piece slate 1 1/4 inch and heavy , table measures 6 ft by 3 ft . I am hoping to find all I can about this table , I am thinking this is from 1908 to 1912

 

That looks about the size of a small billiardette table - they were made in both 6 hole & 8 hole tables in the '30s by Billiardette Table Mfg. Corp. (Baumann Manufacturing) Chicago IL, as well as other companies.

http://www.pinrepair.com/arcade/billett.htm
http://www.pinrepair.com/arcade/8billia.htm
https://newengland.hibid.com/lot/348...or-pool-table/
https://pricesrealized.fontainesauct...or-pool-table/
http://yourbilliardstables.biz/2017/...1930s-coin-op/

 

I like that it has rough and ready legs
Not made for some fancy joint

riff raff

 

That is an antique. No telling what it might really be worth. I have never seen a table that old. You have a rare find.

 

Just seeing if you ever got any information on this dime operated pool table, we have one and it's is the same and looks identical and we were wondering how we get a value on this?

 

 

My memory of these goes back to the late 50s. In the 60s I disassembled, serviced and transported coin operated tables for our family business. There was not too much to service except for the coin slot and foreign objects being placed in the pockets. (Other common abuse was attributable to cigarette burns and tearing the felt.) We generally carried Valley and Brunswick brands. Your unit appears to predate my recollection, but we used 3.5' x 7' and 4' x 8' sizes.

 

Cool pieces, along with old pinballs.

Lot of little country stores had coin-op pool tables when I was a teenager, and my mama hated that because she was afraid I'd start hanging around the local bowling alleys and pool halls. She was a member of United Methodist Women and dreaded her boy taking up "sinful habits". I wasn't that good with a stick, but Dickerson's Billiards had the best hot dogs anywhere so yes, my krew hung around there some.

The country store near home had a Brunswick coin-op table, but we could never get on the thing. An obnoxious old man and his even more obnoxious 300-lb son would commandeer that table about 3PM every day and stay on it till the store closed at 8, and we got out of school at 3:30, so by time we got home at 4:30, it was done for us.

The store owner used to get on them about hogging the table but it went in one ear and out the other. Store owner finally struck us a deal. If we'd fill up the beer and drink coolers, he'd let us shoot pool till 9:30 if we'd let his 13 year old son hang out with us and lock up. Jim was a pretty cool kid so it worked out good.

The first time we got him drunk was hilarious. He was 16, 5'3" and 110 lbs, and got silly drunk off 3 Miller Ponys (remember those?). His daddy said y'all don't get Jim drunk no more, his mama's been on my *** all week! So after that, if Jim got drunk, he spent the night with one of us.

 

We carried tables in and out of a lot back water locations. Some of them were illegal. A 4 x 8 table would often sag their wooden floors. After consuming some moonshine in little paper cups, the players were not too concerned with whether the playing surface was perfectly level. After a few hits of shine they were no longer seeing level.

 

Slight pool table tangent.

i once bought a pool table. The seller asked me to play him a final game before we moved the table, no problem. We played 3-4 games i got crushed every time. Undaunted i thought well he owned the table i dont.

So i get it home all set up get on the horn let everyone know and over the next several weeks i lost every game i played! The final straw was my friends wife laughing the the whole time mopped up the table w me 3 times in a row, it was embarrassing. I sold the table shortly after.

fast forward 30 years im real good at the game pigeon pool on the iphone, so theres that

 

This is a Sparks Pool Table. I have covered three of these tables in the 7 foot size. Re-cushioned one. I have seen one of these in the 4 and a half by 9 foot size. Yes it is a single slate. I was asked to move it and passed on the job.
Side note: A regulation table is twice as long as it is wide.

 

I have one of. These 7ft. Also. It. Plays so well. Has a nickel slot. Patent in 1935. But it still have no clue what brand this table is. But she heavy heavy heavy lol

 

I had a similar experience. When growing up, my older sisters' friends had a pool table at their house, so they were interested in the sport. Later when I was on vacation w/ M&D (about 10 y/o) in the SW US, we stayed at a hotel on Lake Powell. Dad and I went down to the bar where an older fellow offered to teach me how to play pool (1st time I picked up a stick). That was enough for us kids to convince dad to get a pool table. He bought one, can't remember the brand and us kids were in heaven. Sometime later he decided to upgrade it to a Brunswick fiberglass table that his neighbor was selling that was originally in a bowling alley. I never forget 4 of us carrying the bed across the front yards to move that thing. I eventually got good enough w/ the stick to be able to rule the tables in college frat bars.

Years later, my 2nd home purchase included a pool table in the wet-bar / family room. The night we moved in, my best friend since 2nd grade (who I've been in competition with nearly my entire life in pool, ping-pong, disc-golf, regular golf, RISK, you name it) challenges me to a game. He wiped the floor with me 3 games in a row before I gave up. How embarrassing, LOL.

Sorry for the off-topic detour.........