Various Antique score boards

[Geoff Large]

I thought I may as well kick off by listing a few score boards that where manufactured for various games and add a few photo's .
first one is a Henning bros life pool add on board which would compliment a normal billiards board .
this one I own myself , the slides slide left or right on this board and is a three life type with the extra star life that could be bought with a penny .
mother of pearl inlays , plus small ivory knobs , boxwood and mother of pearl star slide out life .
and a very nice ivory name plate with old script .

[100-uper]

This is an Ashcroft combined scoreboard (Billiards and Pool) which resides on the mantelpiece of the fireplace in my library. It used to take pride of place in my billiard room until I downsized, but I couldn't bear to part with it.

It features the coin box and ball storage compartment and would have been middle of the range, between a scoreboard and a full floor-standing unit with lower cabinet.

[Acrowot]

100-uper, I can understand you not wanting to get rid of that lovely Ashcroft scoreboard. A very nice piece of furniture for a billiards/snooker player.
:snooker:

[Geoff Large]

I like the period light fitting was this on the board or added later , most houses where on gas in the early 1900s , electricty being not available to most households .was this a gas one then converted to electricity Peter ?
I have seen a few full compliment with the small sideboard under , one being at Bass Brewery in Burton on trent , a complete set of B&watts table , the scoreboard combination , and rotating cue rack . they sold it a few years ago though .
I also see the pair of billiard markers , to the left of the board
at work we recentley sold a carved wardrobe type scorer , this opened up to reveal cue cabinets , drawers cuboards and the Life pool scoreboard .

[Acrowot]

Hello Geoff, do you work for Briggs, the table people?
:snooker:

[Geoff Large]

no , Elston & hopkin billiards Nottingham , since 1980 before that I worked for my Uncle under the billiards fitter Mick Robb of Belvoir Billiards , Elston and Hopkin are now owned by universal logic for the past 6 years they are based near Gainsborough .
I work from home in Long Eaton as my base .

[100-uper]

I like the period light fitting was this on the board or added later , most houses where on gas in the early 1900s , electricty being not available to most households .was this a gas one then converted to electricity Peter ?

The scoreboard was originally designed for a gas fitting, but when I bought it had been converted to electric (in the 1920s judging by the fitting). I managed to find something closer to what would have originally been in place, although I still keep the 1920s conversion in the ball box along with a fair amount of other period "junk."

There are two other scoreboards in the picture, to the left of the Ashcroft. I'll take a better picture of these later and post it with descriptions.

[Acrowot]

Thanks for that Geoff and also thanks to Peter for his info.
:snooker:

[100-uper]

Bussey's Billiard Marker



The first of a couple of unusual billiard scoreboards is this "Bussey's Billiard Marker" which is enamelled tinplate formed around a hardwood block. The outer pointer marks up to 50 and the inner in multiples of 50 up to 500. Overall size is about 10.5 x 6.5 inches.

Bussey is a name which many people may not have come across before. They were essentially a general sports manufacturer and retailer a bit like E. J. Riley in their early days, but with more emphasis on other traditional sports (tennis, cricket, cycling, etc.) As far as I am aware they were never involved with the manufacture of full sized billiard tables, although they did extensively advertise billiard/dining tables. This marker would have been made to go with one of these, or perhaps a miniature model designed to sit on a table-top.

The company was established by George Gibson Bussey in 1856, at which time they were involved in the manufacture of leather goods. The turning point in their fortunes came in 1906 when the company was floated as a public company, expanding their existing manufacturing depot in London and establishing another in Paris. The London factory was built to accommodate 1,000 workers and more than double their production.

The scoreboard carries the logo of GGB with an arrow, which first appears around this time. There is also a bottom line of text which has been obscured by my flash, and reads "George G. Bussey & Co., Makers, London." This tells me that it was likely to have been produced a few years prior to their flotation, around 1903-06.

They managed to survive the first world war, but the recession of the 1930s saw them off, and the company went into voluntary liquidation in 1932.

[cuerack]

Another interesting thread with great contributions from very experienced contributors.

Can I ask the following:

Unfortunately my billiard table did not have a contemporary scoreboard with it when I bought it. Since then I have thought about trying to get something approprite & along the lines of what it may have originally had with it. But, & its a big but, I don't know if it would have had a simple 2 player 'board with 1-19 & then increments of 20-100 in steps of 20's, or if something else was more in vogue at the time. From my limited knowledge I think that a 'board going from 0-100 would be suited to snooker played with 10 reds but since the table dates to the late 19th C I wondered if a billiard scoreboard going up to 500 or so might be more in keeping? If so I guess then the owners might have bought a snooker scoreboard later on with a set of snooker balls. Could I ask what sort of scoreboard/marker board you think might have been supplied originally with an 8ft George Wright table dated to 1895?

Also wondered if you have any thoughts about if life pool was popular on 8ft tables or if it tended to be confined to full size tables. I realize smaller tables were popular in homes & places where space was restricted but was life pool considered a socially acceptable game to be played in a late Victorian / Edwrdian house?

[Geoff Large]

one very much like this Geroge Wright Scoreboard

Keep youre eye open on ebay for George wright life Pool Scoreboard , you have just missed alife pool on there in need of restoration around 3/10 that went for around £150 , I have just sold a George Wright Life Pool in unrestored but fairly good condition say 6/10 for £450 both where without the ball box though .as most life pool boards where sold as an add on , it would be the Buyers choice to acompany a 8 ft to a full size , they would look a bit out of place on anything below an 8 ft table though .

the Image to the oak small George Wright board is for one on Hamiltons web site priced at £240 .

If you look on Preloved site there is a Life pool for sale on there in good condition for just £200 , it may have been over varnished though . but a good wire wooling and some bee's wax and it should look much better .

[cuerack]

Thanks Geoff, I like the idea of trying to get a life pool board it would be a good addition. Shame about missing the e bay one that was on the go recently & I may have missed the one on preloved too as I had a look for it but could not find it. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place, will try again in a while

[100-uper]

Can I ask the following:

Unfortunately my billiard table did not have a contemporary scoreboard with it when I bought it. Since then I have thought about trying to get something approprite & along the lines of what it may have originally had with it. But, & its a big but, I don't know if it would have had a simple 2 player 'board with 1-19 & then increments of 20-100 in steps of 20's, or if something else was more in vogue at the time. From my limited knowledge I think that a 'board going from 0-100 would be suited to snooker played with 10 reds but since the table dates to the late 19th C I wondered if a billiard scoreboard going up to 500 or so might be more in keeping? If so I guess then the owners might have bought a snooker scoreboard later on with a set of snooker balls. Could I ask what sort of scoreboard/marker board you think might have been supplied originally with an 8ft George Wright table dated to 1895?

Also wondered if you have any thoughts about if life pool was popular on 8ft tables or if it tended to be confined to full size tables. I realize smaller tables were popular in homes & places where space was restricted but was life pool considered a socially acceptable game to be played in a late Victorian / Edwrdian house?

The 100-up board shown on Geoff's post is exactly the type of scoreboard which would have originally shipped with an undersized table in the 1890's. These tables were bought to go into the home. I won't bore you with the background to the development of snooker, but anyone interested can read my research on the subject in the IBSF website. Suffice to say that both Life Pool and "Snooker's Pool" as it was originally known, were primarily gambling games and involved a group of people, rather than being the social game played for fun. This began to happen for snooker in the 20th century. Until then, neither Lift Pool nor Snooker would be considered suitable as a Victorian parlour game and therefore Life Pool scoreboards specifically for undersized tables would not have been produced, although you could buy them separate from billiard marking boards if you so wished.

The development of scoreboards is not related to the development of snooker in any way, the first impact of this game on scoreboard design coming with the introduction of digital electronics in the last twenty years or so.

[cuerack]

Peter,
just been to the IBSF website to read your article referred to; & must say I was definately not bored, but I think I am bit more informed now,
many thanks

[Geoff Large]

Thanks Geoff, I like the idea of trying to get a life pool board it would be a good addition. Shame about missing the e bay one that was on the go recently & I may have missed the one on preloved too as I had a look for it but could not find it. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place, will try again in a while

it is still on Preloved try link here . thats akeen price on what apears to be a good condition board , but I think someone has varnished it .

http://www.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction.../c65e0e0b.html


I have seen a board on ebay of a restored board that has it's downfalls if you compere it to the preloved Life Pool board .
First thing to notice is that the centre slate has been re-placed with a mirror , although some of these large board do have a swivel over slate to mirror function (very rare to find ), but not this board the slate has been re-placed by the mirror .
also whoever stripped the board should have masked the letters on the thin slide out panels , then repolished over these after staining , the original letters would then still be on the board , also the name of manufacturer which may have been between the two roller scorers , may have also been stripped .
It is important from a collecting and originality point of veiw , to have these letterings and names still intact , in fact I do not like stripping old boards down , prefering to just wire wool stain and wax or just wax on its own keeping original patina in place .
ok the preloved board has been varnished by the look of the camera flash , but a simple wire wooling will knock the shine off the board and waxing will give it a better patina . Keeping all the lettering intact .
I am not putting down the seller on ebay who has the renovated the Life pool board , he may not have got the board with letters on in the first place . and the mirror may have also allready been done , we used to have a Bench fitter / Polisher at Elstons who put the mirrors in when it would have been more keeping if a piece of slate was sourced . One board that he did this way belonged to the Hennig bros table that is advertised on Hamiltons web site from Standford Hall near Loughborough , he also took the Hennig Bros gold leaf name off the board too .

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antique-Life-P...SnookerPool_RL


photo below of preloved Board