Albany Billiard Ball Company Records
name: label: Creator
content: Albany Billiard Ball Company (Albany, New York)
label: Names
content: Hyatt, John Wesley (inventor)
label: Names
content: Koener, Max
place: label: Place
content: Albany (N.Y.)
topic: label: Topic
content: Plastics industry and trade
label: Topic
content: Plastics -- Molding
label: Topic
content: Celluloid
label: Topic
content: Molding -- Plastics
label: Topic
content: Billiards
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
creator: label: Creator
content: Albany Billiard Ball Company (Albany, New York)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Albany Billiard Ball Company Records
abstract: label: Summary
content: These records include documents relating to John Hyatt and include legal documents, 1871-1966; bank books; patents; patent certificates; patent assignments; memoranda and articles of association; union contracts; balance sheets; profit and loss accounts; journals and cash books; ledgers; time books; invoices; photographs; and correspondence to and from the company.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: The Albany Billiard Ball Company is possibly the earliest successful plastics firm and certainly one of the oldest plastics companies in the world. The business was started in 1868 on Albany's South End. The company was renamed in September, 1977 the Albany-Hyatt Billiard Ball Company. John Wesley Hyatt was one of the company's founders and the American inventor of celluloid. Celluloid, besides being the base of photographic film, was a substitute for ivory, long the prime substance in billiard ball manufacture. The Hyatt "composition" ball, with a celluloid base, dominated the sport until the 1960s.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 8 Cubic feet (25 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1870 - 1974
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Transferred from the Division of Physical Sciences (now the Division of Medicine and Science) on April 5, 1983.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0011
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Cashbooks
label: Type
content: Invoices
label: Type
content: Contracts
label: Type
content: Ledgers (account books)
label: Type
content: Journals (accounts)
label: Type
content: Legal documents
label: Type
content: Time books
label: Type
content: Patents
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processsed by William R. Massa, Jr. and Robert Harding, November 1979.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Cashbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Invoices
label: Genre/Form
content: Contracts -- union
label: Genre/Form
content: Ledgers (account books)
label: Genre/Form
content: Journals (accounts)
label: Genre/Form
content: Legal documents
label: Genre/Form
content: Time books
label: Genre/Form
content: Patents
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The records include documents relating to John Hyatt and consist of articles of agreement; articles of association; contracts; bills of sale; by laws; deeds; licenses to manufacture; memoranda; bank books; patents; patent certificates; patent assignments; union contracts; balance sheets; profit and loss accounts; journals and cash books; ledgers; time books; invoices; minutes; photographs; and correspondence to and from the company, 1870-1974.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: New York State Library

Albany Billiard Ball Company Records, 1894-1944, bulk 1914-1944

The records of the Albany Billiard Ball Company consist chiefly of account books detailing its finances. The cash journals detail the quantity and cost of goods sold to various firms and individuals. Costs and fees for shipping and handling are also noted. The journals of income and disbursements provide a more detailed record of administrative and production costs of the company as well as income derived from sales. Principle expenditures include labor, raw materials, maintenance of equipment and facilities, and taxes.