Topic: Does anybody know any helpful information about what Foosball table I own?

[MrNickknack77]

Hello, I am new to this forum, so please pardon me if I'm not doing something correctly. I have been researching online for the past several hours trying to find my exact vintage 1970's Foosball table online. I found several tables that are very close to mine, but not exact. I believe my table is a DM (Deutscher Meister) table, but that's only by comparison to online pictures of those tables I saw, and I can't find any logos on mine to identify it. Other very close tables to mine that I saw are the vintage 1970's "The Million Dollar Game" tables.

So the problem that I'm having is the exterior veneer finish. Mine has a very distinct copper finish on it. All of the tables that were similar to mine have wooden finishes on them. I am very interested to know any info about mine because the playfield on mine has been poorly painted blue several years ago and I am in need of replacement parts, and I would like to start restoring mine, so it would really help to see pictures of a complete one in good condition and to know exactly what parts are needed on mine.

I'm sorry I don't have any more info about mine to give. I have a few pictures that I can upload, and I'll do that soon. Thanks in advance for any help!

[alaskan thunder]

Post some pics and you will get your answer. Some of the guys on here are experts regarding old tables.

[MrNickknack77]

I hope these links will work for you guys...

<a target="_blank" href="http://imageshack.com/f/exeRluSgj"><img src="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/537/eRluSg.jpg" border="0"></a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://imageshack.com/f/p4IjecDtj"><img src="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/904/IjecDt.jpg" border="0"></a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://imageshack.com/f/eygjnoiej"><img src="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/538/gjnoie.jpg" border="0"></a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://imageshack.com/f/p1isCm3Fj"><img src="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/901/isCm3F.jpg" border="0"></a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://imageshack.com/f/id024rD1j"><img src="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/661/024rD1.jpg" border="0"></a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://imageshack.com/f/iqVS0ctaj"><img src="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/280x200q90/674/VS0cta.jpg" border="0"></a>

[MrNickknack77]

Sorry for such small pics. I'm trying to post some bigger ones right now...

[MrNickknack77]

[kman22]

Hi MrNickknack,
There are lots of others that can give you more specifics than me but that sure looks like a TS(Tournament Soccer) table. I have been restoring one that I have and the box style(not the finish) is exactly like mine but the legs are different. I have seen other TS tables with those legs too. Otherwise the box, ball returns, coin op setup with ball catch etc are identical. I know the DM machines have the euro style coin op and that is completely different to the one seen on your table. Some one that is a DM KB could probably tell you if there are stamps on the DM tables as well as the tags normally seen.
Even though its possible this was customized I could not believe the previous owner would remove the significant DM tags.
My 2c => I say its a TS, million dollar table, customized based on what I have seen and worked with.
Someone with more knowledge will give you a pretty good idea of the table and maybe even specifics on the finish and such.

[MrNickknack77]

Thanks kman22! Yeah, after I first posted asking for help, I went back and looked at some of the pictures I found online of tables that looked similar to mine, and yes, the TS tables definitely do look like mine even more than the DM ones do. I just can't find a single table that is copper-plated around the outside like mine (I'm uncertain if it's even real copper, but it does look like it). Do you think it's original or customized? If it's customized, they did one heck of a job making it look legit...

[MrNickknack77]

Does anybody else have any knowledge of this particular table or any helpful input?

[SilentSam]

It's not a TS Blue Top. TS Blue Tops had the Tournament Soccer logo on the playfield, with the Million Dollar Table tm on some of them.

Looks like a one-off.

[mickpick63]

Good Day MrNickknack77,

I collect/restore Tournament Soccer Tables and that table does look like it could be a TS table and based on the internal layout looks like it could be a later Green Top "The Quarter Million Dollar Game" Coin Op model with a different playing field and a custom exterior finish as I have never seen one with that cabinet finish.  What also leads me to believe it is a later Green Top is that when the blue tops came out they had added extra blocking on the longer of the two (2) internal ball retrieval ramps to prevent strong goal shots from travelling into one goal out the other as well as went to Two (2) larger slip pin cabinet hinges instead of the Four (4) smaller slip pin cabinet hinges.  SilentSam is correct about the TS Logo, the original Blue Top Coin Ops had either The Quarter Million dollar Game graphic (early Blue Tops) or more commonly The Million Dollar Game rainbow graphic (later Blue Tops), both of which were in the center of the playing field.  I see what looks like the ball catch laying in the back cavity of the base?  I also know back in the day there were some TS foosball table Clones floating around as well.  I hope this helps.  Shoot me your email address and I can send you some pics that show the differences in the internals of the tables.

Regards.....  MickPick63

[man caveman]

look at the legs of this home model ts on craigslist. except for the angle they look like nicknacks coin op.http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/tag/4616827764.html

[MrNickknack77]

Thank you all for your replies! Sorry for my lack of responses... I have been away on a couple trips. @MickPick63, yes, that is what I was thinking. The copper plated finish on it is definitely old itself, so if it was custom done, it had to have been many years ago, maybe even back when the table was still new. It looks (at least to me) like the finish is factory original, but I know that somebody at some point could have done it. And yeah, I saw green, reddish, and blue playfields on TS tables. I just had no clue what color mine was originally, so your input helped greatly... Thanks! Not only was my playfield painted, but the wood of the playfield itself was completely replaced, so it's not original by any means. I need an entire new playfield. I'm starting to wonder if doing a full restoration on this would be worth it, in terms of cost.

@man caveman: Yes, the legs on that one look a lot like mine, but the table case design is different (and I don't mean about it being slimmer in height, but other details such as the corners). When researching, I found way more straight legs on the tables than angled legs like mine. Did TS tables use both designs for the legs?

[mickpick63]

Hello again MrNickKnack77,

Yes TS tables came with the slant leg design like yours as well as the straight 4 X 4 legs although I haven't seen a Green Top TS table with the straight legs, I think they came out when the Blue Top models came out.  And yes your playing field looks like it was replaced because whoever did it forgot to reinstall the +/- 3" wide steel support/binding strap that ran the width of the botom of the top in the center - another reason why I think yours was a later Green Top TS table originally because the strap was replaced with a threaded rod that ran the width just below the ball serve cup when the Blue Tops came out.  Hope this helps some more....