: 17 Subsequently, to avoid the problem of celluloid instability, the industry experimented with various other synthetic materials for billiard balls such as Bakelite, acrylic, and other plastic compounds. However, the nature of celluloid made it volatile in production, occasionally exploding, which ultimately made this early plastic impractical. : 17 By 1870 it was commercially branded Celluloid, the first industrial plastic. It is unclear if the cash prize was ever awarded, and there is no evidence suggesting he did in fact win it. Sorel cement, invented in 1867, was marketed as an artificial ivory), John Wesley Hyatt invented a composition material in 1869 called nitrocellulose for billiard balls (US patent 50359, the first American patent for billiard balls). : 17Īlthough not the first artificial substance to be used for the balls (e.g. : 17 Inventors were challenged to come up with an alternative material that could be manufactured, with a US$10,000 (worth approximately $219,850 in 2023 ) prize being offered by a New York supplier. The billiard industry realized that the supply of elephants (their primary source of ivory) was endangered, as well as dangerous to obtain (the latter an issue of notable public concern at the turn of the 19th century). : 17 By the mid-19th century, elephants were being slaughtered for their ivory at an alarming rate, just to keep up with the demand for high-end billiard balls – no more than eight balls could be made from a single elephant's tusks. Dyed and numbered balls appeared around the early 1770s. Although affordable ox-bone balls were in common use in Europe, elephant ivory was favored since at least 1627 until the early 20th century : 17 the earliest known written reference to ivory billiard balls is in the 1588 inventory of the Duke of Norfolk. ![]() History Hyatt's celluloid ball patent (1871)Įarly balls were made of various materials, including wood and clay (the latter remaining in use well into the 20th century). Various particular ball properties such as hardness, friction coefficient, and resilience are important to accuracy. The number, type, diameter, color, and pattern of the balls differ depending upon the specific game being played. ![]()
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