| Left: 1874 Octagon shaped billiard table with center "crown bumper" See Patent Right: 1872 Octagon shaped table w/ four center holes, w/ball return. See Patent |
| Above Left: 1873 billiard table with legs in the middle, rather than at the corners. See Patent Above Right: 1874 six-sided (Hexagonal) billiard table See Patent |
| Left: 1892 concave pocket table. See Patent Right: 1894 table with mounted cue for aiming. See Patent |
| Above Left: 1978 "star shaped" billiard table. See patent image Above Right: 1964 "golf course" comprised of billiard tables. See Patent The next five images are from a mid 1880's Brunswick & Balke catalog. Courtesy Joe Newell Collection |
| Left: 1878 Oval billiard table. See Patent Right: 1881 hour-glass shaped billiard table. See Patent |
| Left: 1884 Round billiard table w/ center hole, w/ball return. See patent image Right: 1917 Hex table with "obstacle course". See patent image |
| Above: "Carombolette, a Combination of Pigeon Hole and Bagatelle " |
| Above: "The Parepa Table" and the "Pigeon Hole Table" |
| Above: Novelty Ten-Pin Alley |
| Above: The "Jenny Lind Table" and the oval "Virginius Table" |
| Above: "Devil Among The Tailors" table and an English "Bagatelle Table". The following four images are from the Brunswick-Balke-Collender 1912 catalog. Courtesy Joe Newell Collection |
| Above: The "Cue Roque" Table |
| Above: The "Pigeon Hole" Table |
| Above: The "Klondike " Table |
| Above: The "English Bagatelle" Table Tables that stare back at you - Animals and 'Grotesques' Back when it was stylish to do so, many different billiard tables were designed with 'grotesques' or animal-themed legs and/or bases. Typically the legs or bases were made of cast-iron and painted. Below: This 1849 Abraham Bassford table featured 6 cast-iron eagle "legs" and inflatable cushions. |
| All images: Joe Newell Collection Below: More custom Brunswick tables. Great stuff. |
| Brunswick offered "custom designed" or "one of a kind" tables, for special occasions and/or wealthy clients. The seven rare production photos below are of tables that were designed and built specifically for somebody. (although sometimes, a "one of a kind" table was just a simple variation of an existing model) |
| Back To Top Copyright ©Chicago Billiard Museum All Rights Reserved |
| Below: An 1896 illustration of the "Maximilian Table" A very special table built in the late 1800's. Amazingly, this table still exists today. See photos of it below. Illustration from: Gleanings from the History of Billiards BBCC 1896 |
| Above: look carefully and you can spot the small lion heads on the table's sides.. Below: The lion heads up close. |
| Below: A perfect miniature replica of The Brunswick Jewel. Fine craftsmanship by Joe Newell - fine cookies by Gloria Newell. |
| Rare and Unusual Tables The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
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| You may have seen plenty of antique tables, and the common mass-produced tables used around us in everyday play. But have you ever seen a Devil Among the Tailors? Over the years, millions of billiard tables have been produced, in every shape and size imaginable. So, this section is devoted to all the wacky variations, oddball games, and beautiful one-of-a-kind tables that you may have never seen before. Enjoy ! |
| The "Maximilian Table" |
3 Below: The Charles Akam "Combination English Pool Table" with elephant trunk legs. Was available as a carom, pocket, or combination table. |
| Below: 1860s or 70s Charles Schulenburg table with grotesque style legs. |
| 2 Below: Emanuel Brunswick's horse-themed and grotesque style cast-iron table bases. |
| 5 known versions of this table were produced. Moses Bensinger designed at least one of them. |
