1922 Henry Katz & Co., Shur Shot Pool Table in Original Box
Spectacular pressed steel Shur Shot Pool table manufactured by Henry Katz & Co., NY in near mint condition. Incredible unused toy, never played with and nearly 90 years old! Complete with every original piece. Includes original parts box manufactured by Gotham Pressed Steel Corp. And of course it includes it's unbelievable original box! The toy is all pressed steel with baked on chestnut brown enamel. The design basically duplicates a standard size pool table in miniature. The metal around the perimeter was all folded over to eliminate sharp edges. Corners were rounded. It has its original felt table covering which is complete. The felt color was originally all green, but most of it has aged to a tannish-brown color. Some of the original green can still be seen on some areas. It has an automatic ball return welded to the underside of the table. It consists of a slanted sheet of pressed steel with matching enamel paint. The edges are all beveled and folded to prevent the balls from falling out. The return adequately covers all six table holes. One end of the return extends several inches beyond the edge of the table and forms a rounded tray for the idle balls. The racking triangle is a ribbon of metal, painted in matching chestnut enamel, folded with rounded corners to form the classic triangular shape. It perfectly fits all 15 balls. Also included are the two original cues. These consist of 7¼" x 3/8" long wooden dowels. Springs are wrapped over the center of the dowels which are then covered with a beveled tube of steel. Holding onto the tube allows you to draw back on the dowel and release it to shoot. The tubes were lithoed in swirling shades of brown and dark brown to resemble wood grain. The balls consist of 16 hand-made #" diameter glass marbles. 15 of them were made from white glass that varied in shade from cloudy to opaque. The 16th ball is an orange-brown color. It's important to stress that they were all hand made marbles manufactured from glass canes so none of them are exactly, perfectly round. This only adds to the overall antique beauty of the toy. Best of all is its awesome original box. It features a detailed panel-wide illustration which offers a glimpse into the "Norman Rockwell" concept of the pre-eminent 1920's family living room. It shows a the corner of the room with two young lads, mother, and father. All are dressed in typical early 1920's clothing with period hair styling. Two draped windows are shown on one wall with a drawing of a sailing ship between them. The opposite wall has a large fireplace with wooden, three sided mantle. A roaring fire is shown with two andirons in front. Above the mantle lies a mantle clock (of course) flanked by art deco candelabras. A mirror hangs on the wall above the clock. The toy is shown set onto a large oak table. The wooden slat floor is partially covered by a large area rug. Father sits in his comfy easy chair. An empty Hitchcock chair rests in the opposite corner. The illustration was repeated on both sides of the box. All of the box edges including the sides and endflaps were printed with a continuous green striped design. The box sides show a silohouette of the pool table portrait with the name of the toy printed above. The endflaps also include the toy name as well as the manufacturer name and address. The famous, but rarely seen, Katz Toys cat logo was printed in the center between the name and address. The majority of its original Abraham and Strauss, NYC price sticker still exists on one of the side panels. The set also has its original parts box which holds the triangle, balls, and cues. The smaller parts were manufactured by Gotham Steel which was also located in New York City. The box is complete with all six original endflaps. One side was printed with the contents (so you know the set is complete). The other includes an address and information for obtaining additional cues and triangle. Size: 17" x 12" x 4". Sold: Jan. 2008
Price Sold: $ 394
