Cue ID Help Please?

JKing

Registered
I have had this cue for 20 years. Bought it off a fellow who played at the pool hall I managed back in '96. He stated that he had had it many years himself if I remember correctly. He said it was a Meucci, but I never was sure.

I never thought I was taken on the deal. He offered to buy it back later at better money but I liked it so I just held onto it. I liked the 19 oz weight and the 58" length on it. It was not super fancy, just straight and good shooting and it just sort of fit me.

The thing is, I can't tell that it is a Meucci. It seems to have no manufacturers marks or logos anywhere. It is a bit plain in its styling. The white inlays seem to have been laid in a line with a separate pieces of black in between each. The lines formed by the inlays seem to be recessed slightly all the way around. I cannot tell if the white inlays are plastic or something else like ivory.

I am curious now to know what it is that I have had all these years. Any help from folks more knowledgeable than me would be appreciated.

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WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
Ferrule length, joint pin and material, and bumper look like Meucci.

All the best,
WW
 

JKing

Registered
Thanks So Far

First thanks WildWing and FlyingSnail for the responses so far! Very kind of you to take the time.

How certain are you that its Meucci, WildWing? 80%? 90%? 100%?

If this guy is Meucci, and some indeterminate years older than 1996 manufacture, what would be the reason for Meucci to make a cue without any logo marks or branding?
 

WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
First thanks WildWing and FlyingSnail for the responses so far! Very kind of you to take the time.

How certain are you that its Meucci, WildWing? 80%? 90%? 100%?

If this guy is Meucci, and some indeterminate years older than 1996 manufacture, what would be the reason for Meucci to make a cue without any logo marks or branding?

I"ll give it about 90%. Very few but Meucci did a delrin ferrule more than an inch, which is what you have. If you take the tip off, you should see a large wood tenon. The joint material and ring design and material is classic Meucci. It's plastic. Yes, plastic. Remember in the movie, "The Graduate," when the "Jaws" Mayor said to Ben, "Plastics...!!!" Some will remember this...

Moving on from that, the bumper was unique to Meucci, the squared-off rubber bumper than was also pretty thin. Pretty recognizable.

The reason it would not be marked? Many. Many cuemakers didn't mark the cue at the customer's request. Also, any marking could be obliterated by a refinish.

All the best,
WW
 
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cueman

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
It looks like a Meucci. But without logo it may not be a Meucci. It is possible it came out of Bob's shop as a private line built for someone else. Or as mentioned earlier it could have been refinished. Is the wrap sealed or can you feel the Irish linen? It could be one of the Maximum series by Meucci that someone removed the logo off of. That is the line that cue most resembles to me.
 

JKing

Registered
Wrap Detail Images

To help answer questions about the wraps, I took these images so that you guys can see what I am seeing in this area. The wraps have a sheen to them, but I can distinctly feel the ridges created by each wrap of the material. The ridges feel very smooth to the touch if I rub my finger in the direction of the wrapping.

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WildWing

Super Gun Mod
Silver Member
Could have had a past refinishing, and also looks like it's had a more recent wrap pressing. The refinishing, if done, was some time ago, given the chips on the buttplate. The wrap pressing is very easy to do; can even be done by hand. Also, I've seen quite a few Meucci's without a wrap finish, so it's not conclusive one way or another.

To be really honest with you, you're trying to do an autopsy on a hamster. The cue is most likely a Meucci; maybe a refinish as well as a wrap press. In any case, Meucci or not, this is not a valuable cue. It may be a good player though; no way to tell with pictures. Although, someone has treated that ferrule pretty badly, probably with a file to trim the tip, with what I can see.

Hope this helps, though I'm sure it's not what you're looking for.

All the best,
WW
 

JKing

Registered
Hey WW. Thanks for all the information and taking the time. I was about to sell this cue and someone suggested to me it might be one of a select group of early Meucci's that were manufactured without logo marks which might make it valuable. That is why I brought the pics in here to determine if it might have some collector value, but firstly, I wasn't even sure what I had. Now that I know that I will probably go ahead and sell it for low money. Again, appreciate the attention you paid to the request. Love the 'autopsy on a hamster' metaphor. hahaha :thumbup:
 

Maxx

AzB Platinum Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Hey WW. Thanks for all the information and taking the time. I was about to sell this cue and someone suggested to me it might be one of a select group of early Meucci's that were manufactured without logo marks which might make it valuable. That is why I brought the pics in here to determine if it might have some collector value, but firstly, I wasn't even sure what I had. Now that I know that I will probably go ahead and sell it for low money. Again, appreciate the attention you paid to the request. Love the 'autopsy on a hamster' metaphor. hahaha :thumbup:

Not 100% sure, but I think the early Cues you mentioned would have the little rounded, or "pill" bumper.
 

HDR10

HR Custom Cues
Silver Member
It's had the buttplate replaced. Most all of them busted or cracked. They used to come oversized without "Meucci Originals" logo
 

BFC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
You probably got this figured out by now, but just incase...

It is a Meucci Maximum MAX 1

It may have had the buttplate replaced as suggested, or it may be from the first production runs. If you look at the original brochure from Meucci, the cues didn't have any logos (but later ones did). The first runs were were made in 1995.


http://www.billiardsforum.com/maximum-max-series-cues


Scroll to the middle where the galleries of the brochures are... the first set are the initial brochures... no logos. The 2nd gallery shows catalog pages from a later catalog (1997-ish) and those do have the logos.

The Max1 cue had a MSRP of $132 initially (later went to $196 with the logo ones). They could be found brand new at retail for $92 (later for $137 with the logo ones). No collector value in these, but the non-logo ones are about 10 times less common than the later logo versions.

Regarding the wrap - I believe these came without a finish over the wrap by default. Not 100% sure on that though. If anyone has any specs from Meucci (from a catalog or something) I'd love to see them to confirm it.

Regarding the bumper - they didn't have the pill-style bumpers, these were made after that style was retired. These had the flat push-in style black rubber bumpers common on most modern Meucci cues.

Hope that helps.
 
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Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
I"ll give it about 90%. Very few but Meucci did a delrin ferrule more than an inch, which is what you have. If you take the tip off, you should see a large wood tenon. The joint material and ring design and material is classic Meucci. It's plastic. Yes, plastic. Remember in the movie, "The Graduate," when the "Jaws" Mayor said to Ben, "Plastics...!!!" Some will remember this...

Moving on from that, the bumper was unique to Meucci, the squared-off rubber bumper than was also pretty thin. Pretty recognizable.

The reason it would not be marked? Many. Many cuemakers didn't mark the cue at the customer's request. Also, any marking could be obliterated by a refinish.

All the best,
WW
A Delrin ferrule? I can't imagine someone would be that foolish.
 

Bumlak

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A Delrin ferrule? I can't imagine someone would be that foolish.

Indeed. It would hit like a wet napkin I would suspect and you couldn't glue it with anything.

Not to resurrect a long dead thread even more, but just of note: I did see some "Meucci 2nds" at the factory store back in maybe 1990 when I was in college that weren't marked. Most if not all (my memory is foggy at this point) had the groove cut right above the buttcap. But it's certainly of note.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
Gold Member
Silver Member
You probably got this figured out by now, but just incase...

It is a Meucci Maximum MAX 1

It may have had the buttplate replaced as suggested, or it may be from the first production runs. If you look at the original brochure from Meucci, the cues didn't have any logos (but later ones did). The first runs were were made in 1995.


http://www.billiardsforum.com/maximum-max-series-cues


Scroll to the middle where the galleries of the brochures are... the first set are the initial brochures... no logos. The 2nd gallery shows catalog pages from a later catalog (1997-ish) and those do have the logos.

The Max1 cue had a MSRP of $132 initially (later went to $196 with the logo ones). They could be found brand new at retail for $92 (later for $137 with the logo ones). No collector value in these, but the non-logo ones are about 10 times less common than the later logo versions.

Regarding the wrap - I believe these came without a finish over the wrap by default. Not 100% sure on that though. If anyone has any specs from Meucci (from a catalog or something) I'd love to see them to confirm it.

Regarding the bumper - they didn't have the pill-style bumpers, these were made after that style was retired. These had the flat push-in style black rubber bumpers common on most modern Meucci cues.

Hope that helps.
When I bought my Maximum, none of them had a finish over their wrap.
 
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