Stock 1001 Frame reference 602
An extremely rare example of a wonderful Magnus threequarter size (10ft x 5ft) antique billiard table by one of the oldest billiard table makers in the world. Very few Magnus billiard tables are still existing due to the specialist handling required for their installation & removal but if handled with care & consideration and installed as semi-permanent specimens they are a truly wonderful billiard table & a lasting tribute to the men who toiled to produce them. Own something virtually unique.
George Magnus was slate importer in London around c1820-1900 and perfected & patented a method of applying a 'scagliola' finish to slate to produce immitation marble. It was a very complicated and laborious process involving several ovens of gradually increasing temperature in order to bond & bake the finish onto the slate surface without cracking the slate itself. There was also a similar range of ovens for decreasing the temperature, again to avoid cracking & damage. Slate being a very dense & heavy material, the process was very time consuming & expensive and required a great amount of heavy manual labour in a hot & dusty environment. George Magnus worked in conjunction with John Thurston to produce & supply the first ever billiard table with slate bed sections in place of wood or steel, and from this decided to produce complete tables from slate. Slate had the perfect combination of strength, weight & stability for the surface of a billiard table, and being easily worked & 'floated' to a fine & level finish it has been standard fare for the playing surface on all billiard,snooker & pool tables of any decent quality. It was however soon realised that to construct the entire table of slate was financially impractical compared to constructing the framework of timber or steel and so very few slate Magnus tables have survived, but if handled carefully during construction they are a wonderful piece and as a consequence are extremely rare & collectible. Many Magnus tables were exported to India in the days of the British Empire as they were impervious to attack by termites, when tables with timber legs would be eaten from the ground upwards resulting in many cases of the tables completely collapsing.
Probably one of the rarest billiard tables in existence, unlike any other.
Further images to follow, and for more information on George Magnus and his wonderful tables please Click here
Price guide £10,000
We have a massive stock of billiard, snooker & pool tables of all sizes together with vast collection of accessories such as scoreboards, new & antique cues & rests, cue stands, light fittings, together with ornamental items and memorabilia. We are gradually putting all our goods on the website but many items are rare & individual, so if you are seeking something particular please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for looking