Restoration of a Retro Basketball Game 1950s – "LE BASKET Français SAMUD"

Restoration of a very old and rusty retro basketball game from the 1950s. I bought this game on eBay. The seller was from France. When I saw the heavily damaged game, I immediately knew I had to have it. It wasn’t an easy restoration project, but I think the result turned out great, and it’s a lot of fun to play with.

Where did I get the new game field?
My original game field was very damaged, and many details were lost. Nevertheless, I took photos of my broken game field. For the missing details, I searched the internet for game fields in good condition to get an idea of what the original looked like. Then, I recreated and vectorized the game field using Affinity Designer. Afterward, I had it printed at a print shop.


-----Rules of the game-----

GAME DURATION:
The game can either be played in two halves of 20 minutes each or until a player/team reaches a specific score.

GAME START:
Each player or team is assigned a color (e.g., red or blue).The ball is brought into play using a fixed catapult mechanism.

GAME OBJECTIVE:
The goal is to score points by shooting the ball into the basket.

HOW THE GAME WORKS:
The ball can land in different areas on the playing field, triggering various actions:
"Passe" (Pass): The opponent gains possession of the ball.
"Shoot" or "Long-Shoot": You can use the movable catapult mechanism in the center to aim for the basket. A successful shot scores 2 points.
"Coup Franc" (Free Throw): The opponent gets a chance to shoot at the basket and scores 1 point if successful.
"Entre Deux" (Jump Ball): Both players make a new throw-in.

SPECIAL RULES FOR SHOOTING:
If the ball remains on the "Avant Piquet" (Forward Post) position after a missed shot, you get a second chance.For better accuracy, you can lightly press your finger on the catapult’s opening to control the ball's direction more precisely.

ADDITIONAL FEATURE:
There is a small hole under the playing field where a peg can be inserted to slightly tilt the field, allowing the ball to roll better.
Summary: You use the catapults to bring the ball into play and try to score points by aiming for the basket. The flow of the game is determined by the areas on the playing field where the ball lands, which dictate the next action.



Technical Specifications


Name of the Game: Basket-Ball de Table
Manufacturer: Samud, a French company specializing in wooden toys
Origin: Montbrison, France
Production Period: Presumably before the 1950s (based on design features and field layouts)
Materials:
Playing field: Wood
Basket: Wooden board with a metal ring and woven net
Mechanism: Fixed and movable catapult mechanisms


00:00 Introduction to the retro basketball game
00:22 Disassembly
01:33 Wooden frame: Sandblasting, sanding, painting, assembling
04:13 Game field: Renewing, printing, gluing
06:48 Basketball cannon catapult: Sandblasting, painting, repairing, assembling
09:51 Metal parts: Sandblasting, powder coating, assembling
11:36 Basketball hoop: Repairing
14:30 Metal ring: Polishing, assembling
14:48 Metal flipper: Assembling, mounting
15:04 Basketball game rules