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Vintage billiard balls | Games116 of 552 |  |  |
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Posted 9 months ago
trunkman
(107 items)
Took my son for a hockey practice and decided to go for a walk while he got ready. Saw these in a bag by the curb along with a beat up old pool table. Judging by the table they look to be from around 1950. I also picked up the three cues that went with them. I am going to mount them and place them on the wall in the loft to make a display piece. Oh the unfettered joy of it all...
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beautiful colors my friend:)
Nice find trunkman.
Here's a little history on billiard balls and the game.
Dave
Early Billiard Balls
When the game of billiard balls emerged as a promising parlor game, two balls were shoved, not struck, by a "mace." The mace was a stick with a large awkward head for shoving the balls into one of six pockets.
Ivory Billiard Balls
At first, billiard balls were made of ivory, which resulted in the death of elephants for their tusks. The blood vessel in the center of the tusk became the center of the ball during manufacturing. The blood vessel looked like a black dot, and this was used as the center point to pin the ball so it turned perfectly as it was being made.
Manufactured Billiard Balls
As the Industrial Revolution emerged, billiard balls began to be improved by chemicals. In l866, John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid. As a film, it made the balls tougher, but it made the balls shatter more easily when struck. Manufacturers found if they added camphor from a laurel tree, the celluloid became thermoplastic, easily shaped under heat and pressure, and shatterproof.
Number of Balls
At first, only two balls were used on a six-pocket table, but as improvements in manufacturing continued, the number of balls increased. In Britain from around 1770 until the l920s, three balls were used. Four balls were popular in America in the l870s. More balls were added over the years as it became cheaper to produce them.
Billiard Balls Today
Today, the most popular ball is made with phenolic resin, a chemical compound. This method resulted in stronger balls. Because of manufacturing improvements, their colors are brighter and the numbers can be seen more clearly.
Read more: History of Billiard Balls | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5180058_history-billiard-balls.html#ixzz261LuoY7Z
eye4beauty -- then the fight broke out...
Thank you pw-collector for the great info -- love the history. Thanks Belling68 for the colourful comment, thank you RonM and eye4beauty for the l's.
Pretty much how it played out -- you called it again...
I know but the math wasn't working for me...
Love the funnies -- keep them coming...
Fortune favors the brave, and Providence favors the kind-hearted. I reckon you must be both, given all the loot you find at curbs.
Mikko a very profound and lovely comment that has touched me deeply, given my life story. Peace to you my friend.
Thanks pwcollector, mikkoChristmas11, walksoftly and PhilDavidAm for the L's, walksoftly -- your break....
Thanks czechman and collector4evr for the L's...
I can just imagine these all in a bowl too! Amazing colours!
Really brings back great memories. Growing-up with two brothers, I played 'Pool' all the time. I even beat my brothers in a few games of 'Eight Ball' (although they wouldn't admit it). LOL
+
Thanks Kathycat, trgrubaugh and kery10456 for the l's..
Eye4---, you're a classic!
Thanks blunderbuss2 for the L...
I was driving thru Philipsburg here in SXM several years ago & saw an old slot machine next to the trash on a side street. By the time common sense took hold & I went back, it was gone. Well, I've never been given credit from friends for a lot of common sense! Guess I'm really stupid as I drive a pickup. Anything shiny here disappears fast on the road.