Vintage Boards
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If you have a photo or story of a vintage Carrom or Merdel game,
 Brian Lonsway, an Ohio glass artist by trade, passed away on November 15, 2001. He will be missed! He was probably the world's foremost authority on old Carrom boards. About half of his collection of over 150 boards are by the various incarnations of the Carrom Company. He was more knowledgeable than anyone at the Carrom Company on the history of our boards. We dedicate this section to him and include his knowledge so that others can learn about vintage Carrom game boards. The following is a list of the names and dates of the predecessors of the present-day Carrom Company, and is useful to get at least a rough idea of the age of your board. 1896 - 1901 Ludington Novelty Company 1901 - 1914 Carrom-Archarena Company 1914 - 1939 Carrom Company 1939 - 1961 Carrom Industries 1961 - 1991 Merdel Game Manufacturing Company 1991 - 2000 (and hopefully forever) - The Carrom Company The "1889" date turns up on much of their old advertising literature, especially the bags made to hold the playing pieces after one threw away the box that held everything. As far as the games go, disregard this date because at that time they were actually making other non-game wood products. Evidence exists that indicates that they were experimenting and making a smattering of game-boards as early as 1892 but unfortunately little exists to substantiate this, at least in detail. The above dates apply only to known records of the consistent production of games. From 1961 until into the 1970s these boards were made by two companies, and that's another story. Other thoughts regarding dating a board: The company name on the board is your best general guide - they used decals carrying those same old patent dates well into the 1940s. Rule books can be a guide. Until the 1940s, at least, printers often put a number on or near the last page. If, for example, the number is 624, the booklet was printed in June 1924. Someone might shift a rule book around, so be careful. Post WW II boards were numbered, and the following is a list of the editions that I'm currently aware of. They were NOT necessarily produced in this numerical sequence, and they weren't all produced in Ludington; I'm still working on this: #44, 50, 54, 55, 85, 95, 100, 105, 106, 108, 108P, 110, 116, 124, 125, 166, 190, and 199. The #85 was quite popular; within a couple of years hunting you could find enough to build a nice condominium; some of the others are scarce. The 106, 124, 125 and 166 are absolutely identical except for the number in the Crokinole hole; that's another story. The 116 was identical in design to the four boards just mentioned but was luxuriously finished in walnut stain with gold trim.
The rarest of these numbered boards is the Model 190, a fascinating edition that deserves some space here. It was made of very high quality wood in the manner of early 20th century boards, and was called the "Centennial", commemorating the 100th year of Carrom boards in Ludington. Area historians questioned the accuracy of the 1890 date as far as game boards were concerned. This became unimportant since the wood for the playing surface had to be bought from Finland in considerable quantity. Sales projections couldn't justify the cost and the idea was shelved. About twelve editions of this truly unique all-wood board are known to exist. I concede that this compilation may not be absolutely perfect, but it is at least very close, and no attempt is made here to delve into other products made by the remarkable Carrom Company and its forebears over the years. A short list includes canoes, yacht components, piano benches, folding card-tables, standard and junior-size billiard tables, Ping-Pong tables that were made under license from Parker Brothers, and infant's chairs for restaurants. No attempt is made here to elaborate on the numerous other companies that once nipped at the heels of the Carrom Company and made competing carrom-type boards under interesting names like "Skooker" or "Combinola" Happy hunting, and we may never know all the variants of these ever-popular games. Below is a list of Carrom Company boards up to 1945. If you have what you think is an old Carrom Company board but has vague identification, you can compare it to the pictures by clicking the model number (underlined letters or numbers) or the thumbnail. Prior to about 1910 Carrom Company boards carried limited identification.
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At Carrom, our goal for the past 100 years has been to make "Quality Games for the Entire Family". Our games have a quality that customers demand - built right by American workers. Providing quality games is both a joy and a duty for us at Carrom. Our games are American-made and affordably-priced - games that last for generations.
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