Antique Wendt Billiard Table
10/25/2011 9:53:14 AM
Antique Wendt Billiard Table
Does anyone recognize this antique 9' table? There is no manufacturer's label and I have scoured the internet unable to find one like it. I am a total newbie considering buying this from a neighbor - asking price is $1600. He says it plays well and is structurally sound. Cushions and felt were redone a few years ago. The table is now broken down and the 3 pieces of 1" slate look to me to be intact. I would have a local billiards shop do the move and setup for me.
Thank you kindly for any info about this table you might be able to glean from the pic!
Aaron
Antique Wendt Billiard Table
Replies & Comments
guest on 12/6/2011 9:01:11 AM
I wish I knew what kind it was. There were only a few manufacturers that made tables of this stature back in the day. What I do know is that most antique Brunswick tables that are 9' will have a rail bolt that fastens through the side of the rail instead of underneath. The way the pockets are fastened may be an indication as well. Mordern pockets bolt down from underneath as well. The slate of an antique brunswick will typically be 1 1/2" or more vs. 1" and will have a wood backing attached to it. The rail blinds are also very thick, 2" in some cases, and the amount of area a tech has to staple the cloth to the rail is less than 1".
Hope this helps.afield on 12/6/2011 9:26:11 AM
Thank you! Since my original post I have researched the table extensively (many thanks to all the experts whom I've pestered by e-mail!) and discovered that it was made by Wendt Billiard Mfg. Co. (Milwaukee, WI). I understand Wendt was known for the "arts and crafts" style, of which this table is a beautiful example. It was originally a carom table, converted to pool many years ago.
cato on 12/27/2011 4:19:43 PM
AFIELD I wanted to PM you but being a new member I can't. I just purchased a Wendt Billiard Mfg. Co pool table and I can't find much info about the company. What did you find in your research and did you find any info on the internet?
Thanks
I was able to find surprisingly little information about Wendt. They were a competitor of Brunswick around the turn of the 20th century until the early 1940's or so, when they were absorbed by the A.E. Schmidt Billiard Co. (St. Louis), which is still in business. You can purchase an old Wendt catalog and a couple of reproduction brass Wendt nameplates at www.classicbilliards.net. If you're really obsessive (like me), there is a website (can't remember the address but can probably find it again if you're interested and can't find it yourself) with some old (1920's) copies of Billiard Magazine scanned to pdf's and available for free download, and in those pages you can find an advertisement for Wendt tables.
Hope this helps. Would love to see your table if you have pics you can upload!
Here's that Wendt ad from Billiards Magazine, 1922.
Aaron
Thank you, much appreciated.
dahshore on 10/8/2016 11:45:37 AM
Nice. I would appreciate any link info you may have.
I have had a Wendt pool table for 40 years but can not find a model name.
There are some numbers on the bottom of the rails.
I got nowhere with the numbers on the rails. The best thing to do is post pics and send them around to the experts.
If it's a Wendt pool table, send some pics to A. E. Schmidt and they might ID it for you.
A. E. Schmidt didn't have any idea.
The most I know is of the name Wendt.
I am not sure of the year it was made. I think it is "arts and craft style" pool table? Yes that is it. It looks like a Klinge pool table but isn't.
Nashville Billiard & Patio on 10/17/2016 3:15:07 PMHey guys, I found some great articles about antique pool tables. They show a picture of the table and give the actual description from the original catalog. Maybe you can check their site and I hope you can find what you're looking for. Quite interesting - Nashville Billiard has some of these for sale.
user1534996256 on 8/22/2018 8:50:57 PM
I'm the great great Grandson of Charles Wendt. I would love to find more information about my lineage. I have all the official documents from his patents and things he pioneered with the pool table.
I remember hearing that Brunswick bought his company sometime around the 1940's but do not quote me on that.
billiardsforum on 8/27/2018 6:28:00 PMGreat to have you join the forum and thanks for the history.
Regarding Wendt Manufacturing Co. being acquired by Brunswick, I think you are incorrect there.
It was acquired, but the acquirer was A.E. Schmidt, Co.
Wendt was one of the few manufacturers with a national, rather than a regional presence to survive the Brunswick-Balke-Collender domination of the billiard industry after the turn of the century (1900). Wendt persisted until 1942, then absorbed by A. E. Schmidt Co. of St. Louis, which remains today one of the last American billiard manufacturers.
As mentioned above, Wendt was one of the last standing competitors to Brunswick’s domination of the industry and produced tables for many smaller regional companies to market under their own labels. Thus we see Wendt tables popping up in catalogs like the G.H. Jenkinson Company of Sioux City, Iowa and this also explains the Minn Company of Milwaukee nameplate in the table shown here.
Would love to hear any other history you might find on your Great Great Grandfather Charles Wendt.
From the History of Milwaukee City and County, Vol. 2 1922
CHARLES AUGUST WENDT.
The largest exclusive billiard and pocket billiard table factory in the United States is known as The Wendt Billiard Manufacturing Company and is located at 765-79 Thirtieth street, and Charles A. Wendt is president of this company. He is also president of one of the few factories in the United States building bowling alleys, which is known as the Bowling Alley Builders Company, and is located at 1195-99 Thirtieth street. The largest wholesale grain business in Milwaukee is known as F. Wendt Grain Company, and is located at 775-79 Thirtieth street. He is secretary of this company and is widely known as a representative business man and citizen.
His paternal grandparents and great-grandparents emigrated from Germany about 1840. In a straw-thatched log cabin, surrounded by great forest trees, was born the father of the subject of our sketch. The grandfather showed a most progressive spirit, which developed so vigorously in his descendants. After making a garden of the wilderness, he built and operated a grist mill at Mayfield, Wisconsin. This mill later developed into the present water-power driven Mayfield Roller Mills. After the grandfather retired, the father operated the mill.
In 1851 his father, disposing of the mill at Mayfield, moved to Milwaukee, then a city of about one hundred thousand inhabitants, and established himself in the grain business. His capital consisted of boundless energy and indomitable will, high ideals, a frugal, loving wife, and a family of small boys. The business venture prospered and has grown into the present F. Wendt Grain Company, still conducted at 775-79 Thirtieth street, which is being conducted by his three sons, Fred, .Jr., Charles A. and Henry C. He was a member of the .Milwaukee Board of Trade for twenty-four years, was a lifelong republican but never sought nor desired political preferment as a reward for party fealty. He passed away April 19, 1921, mourned by all who knew him and most by those who knew him best.
Tho maternal grandparents and great-grandparents also emigrated from Germany about 1837 and located in Washington county. Joseph Katz, the grandfather, was in love with his adopted country and to show his loyalty and allegiance named his five sons after former United States presidents and statesmen. He conducted a general store at Mayfield for a number of years and had the pictures of the different United States presidents from Washington down to the time of his discontinuing the store on his walls. Besides the five sons there were two daughters, the older one being the mother of the subject of this sketch. She died March 8, 1891.
At the time the family moved to Milwaukee, they located in the tenth ward, and Charles A. Wendt graduated from John Diedrichsen's school in 1894, Miss J. Birmingham having been his eighth grade teacher. He then attended the West Sine high school, this school having started that year in what was then known as the library building on the northwest corner of Fourth and Grand avenue.
After this he clerked in a grocery store for about one and one-half years, and then entered the employ of a concern manufacturing billiard tables, and when he severed his connections with that corporation he was secretary and treasurer and had occupied every position of trust in the establishment. This covered a period of nineteen years. In 1916 he established The Wendt Billiard Manufacturing Company at 22211 Lisbon avenue, but soon outgrowing the capacity of this plant he bought and moved to the present quarters on Thirtieth street, where he employs scores of skilled mechanics and where his high grade productions are sought by customers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. They are also large jobbers and importers of ivory, cues and all other billiard table accessories.
In 1921 Mr. Wendt, looking for more vent of his energy, organized the Bowling Alley Builders Company. This is also a closed corporation and the stockholders are the same as those of the billiard company. Only established a short time, their product is already known from coast to coast and they employ more than a score of men. Having been a stockholder in the F. Wendt Grain Company for some time, Charles A. Wendt became secretary after the death of his father.
On September 18, 1901, he was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Boeck, daughter of a Milwaukee ship builder, to which happy union were born two daughters, Mildred and Jeannette. Besides inheriting their mother's many accomplishments, dainty femininity and domesticity, they also have their father's buoyancy of spirit, which is a great comfort and inspiration to him.
His family join all his sports and recreations, which consist of fishing and other outdoor sports, particularly motoring, skating and tobogganing, the last two being his favorites. On crisp winter afternoons and evenings you can see him with his family and friends on the toboggan slides at Washington park or on the ice. His aim in athletics as in business always has been to excel, and he now has one of the speediest toboggans on the slides and prefers the speed skating to the fancy.
In politics. Mr. Wendt is a stanch republican, as his father before him, and likewise has never sought nor held public office. Here is a man not yet middle aged, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages, his products standard, a courteous, capable, business man, useful to the community, a good neighbor, a kind husband, and indulgent father. His past success argues well for his future.
Bill_Filipiak on 10/22/2018 10:09:35 AMI have a nice 9' Wendt pool table. I picked it up a few months ago and I'm trying to restore it. I am south of Chicago and would love to get more information on this brand!
You might be hard pressed to learn anything more about Wendt tables than what has already been posted in this thread, but if you do, please share it here (along with a pic of your table). Thanks!
- Bill_Filipiak on 10/22/2018 1:52:40 PM
Here's my Wendt billiards table!
I don't know the year and have only found one other like it on the web and it had a Brunswick badge in the rail.
I have already sent pictures to Brunswick and they confirmed this is not one of theirs.
I have the slate out in the garage and now that I'm done with most of the woodwork, the slate will be brought down this Saturday!
Beautiful pool table, thanks for sharing!
Funny, my Wendt table also had a Brunswick badge on it when I bought it. It was custom made by someone who thought the table was a Brunswick. I replaced it with a reproduction brass Wendt badge from Custom Billiards. I aged the brass and designed some inlay to make it fit, matching the inlay pattern on the sides and legs of the table.
- Bill_Filipiak on 10/22/2018 4:07:24 PM
Wow that's one sweet Wendt pool table!
Lots of info on these arts and craft period Wendt pool tables. I have one for sale if anyone may be interested/ more photos available.
- Bill_Filipiak on 10/23/2018 8:17:32 AM
I love the chair!
Contact me if you are interested in selling it.
The whole set was for sale and listed on eEay. There are 4 chairs, all original, and also a cue rack etc., all original.
I am not parting it out.
By the way, shout out to Bill at Royal Oak Antiques of Jackson, WI who put the patina on the brass nameplate and did the custom inlay work on that Wendt table I posted yesterday - he specializes in restoration of antique pool tables and was great to work with!
- Bill_Filipiak on 10/23/2018 8:49:04 AM
Can you post the link to you sale? I can't find it and I'm pretty good at Ebay.
- billiardsforum on 10/23/2018 7:19:16 PM
He said was listed. Probably this listing from March 2017 (photos no longer available):
Antique pool table, Wendt with 4 spectator chairs, a complete pool room + extras
Condition:Used
Ended: Mar 04, 2017 , 4:33PM
Price:US $6,500.00
Seller information: dahshoreWendt pool table (very similar to the Brunswick Kling pool table). AE Schmidt bought Wendt out, however the plate shows - "Monarch The Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co." which I think was added later. There is about 1/16 around the present plate which would indicate it was a replacement. I have had the table for 40 years and was bought from a family that had it for many years. I have contacted many experts and none could identify the model of the table. Many thought it is a Wendt pool table, arts and craft style, and could be a knock off of the Brunswick Kling model? There is one listed similar on eBay at this time which has more historical information and details. This table is a full size table and sold with all the extras with no parting out, a total pool room package. The slate is 1 1/2 with backing,and set up in excellent condition. There is a lots of information about these tables on the internet but I have not found this particular style. If you need more info please contact me and I will try to ans. your questions. Items under the table are a Wooten desk top and not part of the table.
Source: ebay.com/itm/282347987896
On another note, there are some Wendt Billiard Mfg Co. catalogs out there, some had the name "Wenco" on them. You just have to watch eBay.
@Bill_Filipiak - your Wendt pool table looks like it might be a Wendt Grand pool table from the image below. Hard to tell for sure though.
Here is one example from our archives:
Many thanks to billiardsforum for posting a few pages from the Wendt catalog! Say, billiarrdsforum, may I trouble you to check the catalog for anything resembling the table I posted on 10/22? The closest I've seen is the "Culver" but I was told the model name is "Lincoln" (which might be wrong of course). Thanks again!
- Bill_Filipiak on 10/24/2018 6:48:02 AM
I will keep an eye out for the Wenco catalogs. Thanks!!
- billiardsforum on 10/24/2018 1:14:08 PM
I don't own the catalog. Those are just photos I archived from the last one I saw for sale. It was going for over $250 so obviously I didn't buy it.
- Bill_Filipiak on 10/24/2018 1:23:19 PM
$250! I'm happy with the images you posted! :)
No kidding! Who knew there was enough demand for old Wendt catalogs to drive the price that high? Crazy.
- Bill_Filipiak on 10/24/2018 2:04:15 PM
I know right! I toss the name Wendt out on AZ billiards and get maybe 1 response. Post those pictures on my FaceBook page and nothing. But enough people bid on a obscure pool table book to make it worth it's weight in gold! Go figure!!! And it doesn't even have real pictures in it. Those are drawings!
- billiardsforum on 10/24/2018 5:37:53 PM
Here are the rest from our archives. Sorry I've only got the low-res ones of these.
And below that, are some more Wendt models from a different 1930s Wendt pool table catalog:
And some from a different 1930s Wendt Billiard Table catalog:
Thanks for posting those, billiardsforum!
kzgae on 9/29/2019 3:50:28 PM
I have a Wendt pool table that was disassembled and stored in my garage for 20 years. My Dad's parents bought it used from a pool hall when Dad was a teen. They didn't want him hanging out in pool halls. It came into my possession when my parents retired and moved.
It has traveled form Pennsylvania to California. I dug it out in preparation to move it once again and set it back up. It is in pretty rough shape. I'm trying to decide if it is worth the efforts and if it's in my capabilities to fix up.
Anyway it has serial numbers stamped in several places. Number 55393. It has what looks like a shipping tag on the inside of a skirt that shows it being sent to G.W. Geary, Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania.
Not sure what will become of it but thought it would be good to share some history.
The pool table in this article that the Shore had is now for sale in St. Louis.
The owner is extremely interested in selling the entire pool room. It's on eBay.
- Bill_Filipiak on 9/30/2019 7:54:36 AM
@ kzgae - I would have to see some pictures of your Wendt pool table to be able to offer an opinion on if it is worth restoring (or even possible to restore) or not.
Mine had considerable water damage to the veneers on the bottoms of the legs but the rest of the pool table was fine. I added my own custom embellishments to cover most of the damage and I think it turned out fine.
Most of the people who have seen my Wendt pool table in person think that my addition adds to the look of the table!
That looks nice. Mine has water damage too.
Not sure how to add pictures but I will give it a try.
- billiardsforum on 10/1/2019 4:16:41 AM
If you have issues uploading photos, just email them to contact@billiardsforum.com and I will make sure they get posted for you.
I really hope you send some along. Would love to see your Wendt pool table.
Also, @dahshore - can you share the link to the sale showing the Wendt pool table you are talking about?
user1601382792 on 9/29/2020 5:33:13 AM
We are in the process of purchasing this antique pool table for our basement. We just discovered it is NOT a Brunswick pool table as we continued our research.
Someone replaced the name plate with a Brunswick name plate.
It looks like the Wendt pool table on the front cover of the Wenco catalog pictured above. I cannot find the name of this pool table.
AE Schmidt seemed to want to go out of it's way to remove Wendt from the history books. They don't even mention purchasing the company in their history.
Any idea what the name of this model is?
- billiardsforum on 9/30/2020 2:35:52 AM
@user1601382792, I think you are right. It's definitely this one below, but unfortunately I don't have any Wendt marketing materials showing the model name of this pool table.
I'll continue to keep an eye out for a model name of this Wendt pool table for you. If you do figure it out first, please let us know!
user1613428635 on 2/15/2021 2:37:15 PM
Here is a Wendt pool table that I recently picked up. Hope you enjoy the pics.
user1676754716 on 2/18/2023 4:11:57 PM
Here is my Wendt pool table with Simonis 860 cloth. It plays so fast. I just love it.
Antique Wendt Billiard Table
- Title: Antique Wendt Billiard Table
- Author: afield (Aaron Field)
- Published: 10/25/2011 9:53:14 AM
