Willow Hoppe Brunswick

firesteel

Registered
I posted some pics of a Hoppe a couple years ago. I found another Hoppe, but it's broken. Thought I'd share anyway.
iPad changed Willie to Willow.
 

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KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
Very nice. I have one and It's my daily player!!! had it refinished and fitted with an OB shaft. Old school meets new school. What's not to like ;)
 
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pdcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is one thing that is extremely rare about your Hoppe - It has the original shaft with an original ferrule.

IMHO - less than 1% of Hoppes still have the shaft they were born with, way less.

If I had this cue I would repair the shaft to make it "playable" then make a new shaft. Not a big job at all.

Dale
 

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is one thing that is extremely rare about your Hoppe - It has the original shaft with an original ferrule.

IMHO - less than 1% of Hoppes still have the shaft they were born with, way less.

If I had this cue I would repair the shaft to make it "playable" then make a new shaft. Not a big job at all.

Dale

Interesting.

I have a Hoppe that is in virtually new condition. I am fairly certain it has the original shaft. I never thought that was very unique. But, of course, I would not have wanted it as a collector piece without the original shaft. If I were looking to do a conversion I would likely have a new shaft made anyway if only for the length. Of course, repair the old shaft as well.

Can we really tell the shaft is original on that cue? We could say it is old. Period correct. We could say it certainly looks like a Brunswick shaft. But I would say that it certainly is possible it isn't original to the cue. If it screwed on correctly, same diameter, aligned, straight, and concentric, then I would say it is likely the original.



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Bob 14:1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just curious if these have any value? Mine's from c. 1963. Non original replacement shaft. Also found my Schon 314/2 fits it, but of course right now the decals don't line up. I think it also has a non original butt cap.

Mostly just a keepsake from my early high school and college days.

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firesteel

Registered
Pics

Here are a couple pics. The shaft was part of the butt. It is from an estate sale. They were selling a pool table and accessories all together. The only reason they sold this cue separately is because it wasn't playable. The shaft and butt were together there.

Another thing, if I remember correctly the Willie Hoppe signature on my previous cue was in ink. This signature is actually engraved into the wood.
 

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Kiwis11

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I also have an original...with original shaft...Willie Hoppe from the mid 60's. Very Very little play. It is the top cue in the picture. The 2nd cue is a mid 60's Brunswick Master Stroke...rebuilt for me by AE Schmidt of St Louis in the late 60's. The bottom cue is a very old Willie Hoppe I found in a trash barrel in Bloomington, IL in the early 60's and also had rebuilt by AE Schmidt of St Louis.
 

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pdcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Interesting.

I have a Hoppe that is in virtually new condition. I am fairly certain it has the original shaft. I never thought that was very unique. But, of course, I would not have wanted it as a collector piece without the original shaft. If I were looking to do a conversion I would likely have a new shaft made anyway if only for the length. Of course, repair the old shaft as well.

Can we really tell the shaft is original on that cue? We could say it is old. Period correct. We could say it certainly looks like a Brunswick shaft. But I would say that it certainly is possible it isn't original to the cue. If it screwed on correctly, same diameter, aligned, straight, and concentric, then I would say it is likely the original


.

Are you serious?
Can any part of any used cue be guaranteed to be original?

Look at the cue. Most anything COULD have been changed/replaced.
But what are the odds? Does it look to you like it was owned by someone who fiddled with it a lot?

Dale

ps;

The later pic of the broken joint sorta argues for the idea that this is indeed the shaft that came with the cue,
or at the very least was with it when someone missed the game ball:)
 
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fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
Any idea when they stopped producing those Hoppe cues? When I bought my GCI it also came with a double sided floor standing Brunswick cue rack, 11 1 piece Brunswick cues, and an original Hoppe Titlist with the original shaft, I did not know the original shafts were rare. I was told the original private owner of this table bought the table, balls, cue rack, and cues as a package deal from his local Brunswick dealer around 1971.
 

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Are you serious?
Can any part of any used cue be guaranteed to be original?

Look at the cue. Most anything COULD have been changed/replaced.
But what are the odds? Does it look to you like it was owned by someone who fiddled with it a lot?

Dale

ps;

The later pic of the broken joint sorta argues for the idea that this is indeed the shaft that came with the cue,
or at the very least was with it when someone missed the game ball:)



Wasn't arguing. Just discussing.

But, yeah, I think we can assume it is probably original.


But I really didn't think having the original shaft, or even the original ferrule, with the cue was rare, as was stated. That what the brunt of my point. So, yes, I was quite serious. There seem to be a plethora available in original state. I didn't have any trouble at all finding one, even in nearly new condition.


There is one thing that is extremely rare about your Hoppe - It has the original shaft with an original ferrule.


When we consider how much that cue was screwed with then I would say it is quite remarkable that anything at all about it is original. Which is, I believe, what you were saying.


.


.
 

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Any idea when they stopped producing those Hoppe cues? .


Depends on how you look at it.

Brunswick made the whole thing in-house for decades. "Brunswick Made" These are probably the last "real" Hoppe cues, at least to me. Not that I don't like those that came after.

Then Schmelke took over making the blanks for them. "American Made"

Then Adam took over making the entire cue. "Asian Import"

These were the last to look like what we call a Hoppe cue, and they were stamped with numbers, easy to ID as Asian. And the veneers were a little off in color I think.

Then after that there was the "Brunswick Professional" which was the next permutation. It didn't say Willie Hoppe on it.

Then there were Brunswick Hoppe Commemerative cues.

Then there were some very limited Brunswick Hoppe collectibles by Joss, and then much later the Predator Hoppe cues.


So, depends on what you consider a "real Hoppe cue".

I think Brunswick farmed out the blank making in the mid to late sixties? I have records somewhere but would have to dig. I'm sure google can find it as well.




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pdcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Wasn't arguing. Just discussing.

But, yeah, I think we can assume it is probably original.


But I really didn't think having the original shaft, or even the original ferrule, with the cue was rare, as was stated. That what the brunt of my point. So, yes, I was quite serious. There seem to be a plethora available in original state. I didn't have any trouble at all finding one, even in nearly new condition.





When we consider how much that cue was screwed with then I would say it is quite remarkable that anything at all about it is original. Which is, I believe, what you were saying.


.


.

My estimate is based on several decades of seeing Hoppes 'in person' followed by a couple decades of viewing Hoppes online.

I'll stick with less than 1%

Dale
 

Cuebuddy

Mini cues
Silver Member
I think I have five of these old cues and I am almost certain all shafts are original to the cues. Of course four are Titlist cues :p

My one and only Brunswick Professional has a second shaft that I made for it but I still have the original.
 

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My estimate is based on several decades of seeing Hoppes 'in person' followed by a couple decades of viewing Hoppes online.

I'll stick with less than 1%

Dale

Really?

Wow.


I just didn't think so.


Makes me feel even more fortunate to have mine.


I guess most of them probably got the life played out of them and the ones I see now are the fortunate ones that are left that sat in closets for decades. It would give me a skewed perspective on the matter.



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