A catalogue from 1908

[Csmith]

£52 from 1908 translates to roughly £5,587 today or $10,598 in Canadian dollars for my countrymen/women. Pricey table.

Source: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/educa...h/default.aspx

[robertmac]

I checked the Riley website and here is the price.

Riley Aristocrat Tournament Champion - From £10999

[philip in china]

11,000. Frankly, except for steel blocks, which would you prefer? The Riley or a 100% British made table from the epoch we are discussing? I know what my answer would be. I bought my B & W for that reason.

[robertmac]

I agree with you. Superior quality I would guess.

[Pktotten]

Hi. Can you tell me what make the table is? I’m in a small club that has the same table and score board. According to our records we have had the table since 1922. Unfortunately the makers badges have been removed or stolen from the table at some point. There are lots of different stories from old members saying where the table came from but nobody knows what happened to the badges or what make it is.

[philip in china]

Is that question aimed at me? I am not sure to which table you refer.

[Pktotten]

Philip, it’s the table in 1st photo.

[philip in china]

That would be one of their "own brand" tables. Yes, the practice isn't anything new. They used to get own brand stuff made by mainstream manufacturers and knock it out under the store's name. So there is no telling really.

If you want an idea what make your table is, I would suggest you take some good photos of the interesting parts and post them in the "Tables" section of the site. Then one of the experts might be able to tell you quite a bit about it.

[Pktotten]

Thanks. I will take some photos and post them.

[DeanH]

Philip, what retailer was the catalogue from?

[philip in china]

Sorry, The Army And Navy Cooperative Society. They were a store for members of the military and civil servants. They supplied pretty well anything you might need from soup to snooker tables, from pianos to pickles. Of course, in those days such people could be almost anywhere in the world. So snooker tables could be supplied specially packed in sealed tin boxes to resist the Indian climate.

[DeanH]

yep Army & Navy are still going in places

Thanks for that info

[100-uper]

Hi. Can you tell me what make the table is? I’m in a small club that has the same table and score board. According to our records we have had the table since 1922. Unfortunately the makers badges have been removed or stolen from the table at some point. There are lots of different stories from old members saying where the table came from but nobody knows what happened to the badges or what make it is.

The table in the catalogue is by Stevens & Sons (it has their name at the end of the table illustrated).

This is a clearer image of the leg so you can better compare it with your table ....

[100-uper]

Just to clarify, the above is from R. Stevens & Sons, Villiers Street, Charing Cross, about 1920. The one below is from W. Stevens, of Acton, (same family) and dates from about 1914, which is perhaps a more faithful copy of the one in the Army & Navy catalogue.