Highest Collectible Cue Prices?

kvinbrwr

kvinbrwr

Skee Ball Monster Playa
Gold Member
In one of the threads about the recent eBay Balabushka auction, someone guessed that perhaps that cue would surpass the 55K the Gus Szamboti box cue brought on eBay a few months back.

That Bushka didn't come close, but it does raise the question of what the highest (verifiable?) collectible cue sale we know of is. I wasn't paying much attention before we auctioned the Szam, but since then I've seen nothing come close. My eBay rep told be that was the highest cue they could find ever sold on eBay.

I expected the Sothebys auction of the Paradise/Mosconi/Mantle cue to go high, but that only brought 5K (Sothebys made it almost impossible to bid - I'm sure I wasn't the only frustrated bidder hitting the bid button with no result), Sotheby's fault. That cue is now being offered at 50K I think so far with no takers.


I've heard of the "Silver Gina" supposedly 250K? but that cue maybe has never passed ownership so it's value is perhaps a little speculative.

I'm curious as to what big sales are generally acknowledged in the collectible cue market.

Kevin
 
I have recently sold richard blacks20-40,000, a ginacuefor 55,000 and arthurcue 55,000 and a gus for30,000 so i hope that helps
 
Kevin,


It's a very small crowd up there. I think you hold the auction record at $55K.

After that, there is a lot of speculation, but only a few people really know what the last Szamboti sold for, which I am guessing is the highest cue sold for cash to date.

The other cues with real-estate type valuations are the Golden Bushka and the Silver Gina - if they actually change hands.

Chris
 
Thomas Wayne scored over $100K for at least one cue years ago. The Bala-Boti was slated for a $75K sale half a dozen years ago. The Flying Lady sold 5-7 years ago for over $60K and would easily draw more today. Joey Gold made a few '$lam dunks' back in his day. These are just a few off the top of my head, but there are plenty of other true legends out there as well.
 
Silver Gina

kvinbrwr said:
I've heard of the "Silver Gina" supposedly 250K? but that cue maybe has never passed ownership so it's value is perhaps a little speculative.

I'm curious as to what big sales are generally acknowledged in the collectible cue market.

Kevin
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Ernie and I spoke about the famed silver Gina when I was preparing his biography for the 3rd blue book. He was offered 300K for that cue and held on to it instead. The interesting part of that story for me was that the offer came from a buyer who had made other offers years earlier. It would seem, the cue's value escallated faster than this buyer's offers.

Ernie described it as one of his 3 most important works. It is only fitting that a master like him should be offered many hundreds of thousands for such a creation. A silver and ivory cue in the 60's...he was a visionary.
 
skierlawyer said:
Golden Bushka??
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It's on page 330 of the Billiards Encyclopedia. I don't know who owns it, but in another thread, the values were speculated to be quite high.
 
I think the problem with my query is that I'm used to a transparent market (eBay) and most high-end cues are sold privately, thus making the "verification" difficult.

If nobody can remember a higher transparent sale, I'm going to claim the cue auction heavyweight championship belt.

Now to find an entourage to carry the belt into the forum and march around, holding it over their heads, before I post.

Kevin
 
Drawman623 said:
Ernie and I spoke about the famed silver Gina when I was preparing his biography for the 3rd blue book. He was offered 300K for that cue and held on to it instead. The interesting part of that story for me was that the offer came from a buyer who had made other offers years earlier. It would seem, the cue's value escallated faster than this buyer's offers.

Ernie described it as one of his 3 most important works. It is only fitting that a master like him should be offered many hundreds of thousands for such a creation. A silver and ivory cue in the 60's...he was a visionary.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying that that cue is not worth every penny, however the value of the Silver Gina has been established only by offers Ernie has purportedly rejected. At least the Golden Bushka changed hands and someone actually paid something (1/4 million????) for it.

I wonder what the highest value cue was in that huge desert Gus/Bushka deal was figured at? Anyone talking?

Kevin
 
Jim Rempe sold the Crown Jewels, Said in the mid six figures. Didn't say how much because of IRS.
 
kvinbrwr said:
I think the problem with my query is that I'm used to a transparent market (eBay) and most high-end cues are sold privately, thus making the "verification" difficult.

If nobody can remember a higher transparent sale, I'm going to claim the cue auction heavyweight championship belt.

Now to find an entourage to carry the belt into the forum and march around, holding it over their heads, before I post.

Kevin
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Kevin, in my estimation you are the winner with that box Gus cue. It's head and shoulders above anything else I've seen sold through eBay. Someone needs to photoshop you up a championship belt (ala WWE) for use as your new avatar !!

kvinbrwr said:
....Anyone talking?
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No, probably not. You hit right on it with your post. When you get into that realm, the transactions are held very private.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen...the new holder of the Universal Multi-World Conglomerate Heavyweight Szamboti Belt for Ebay Cue Auctions...AZB's own kvinbrwr!
 

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Elvis Said It best

Hunter said:
Ladies and Gentlemen...the new holder of the Universal Multi-World Conglomerate Heavyweight Szamboti Belt for Ebay Cue Auctions...AZB's own kvinbrwr!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much.

Kevin
 
ibuycues said:
Kevin,

Let me claim to be co-champion for the ebay auction....

Heh, heh, heh......

Will:p :p :p :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :cool: :)
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Will

Yeah but when you walk into the ring, you get to have your entourage ahead of you, hoisting that Szam Box Cue over their heads for the crowd to see and be impressed by. What have I got? Cute belt, flashing lights.

Did you get those veneers straightened out on the M yet?
There's a cue that's almost flashy enough, maybe I'll lend you a light or two from my/our Heavyweight Belt to round that M look out.

Kevin
 
TATE said:
Kevin,


It's a very small crowd up there. I think you hold the auction record at $55K.

After that, there is a lot of speculation, but only a few people really know what the last Szamboti sold for, which I am guessing is the highest cue sold for cash to date.

The other cues with real-estate type valuations are the Golden Bushka and the Silver Gina - if they actually change hands.

Chris
Click to expand...

Chris

When you say the "last" Szam, is that the most recent Szam to be sold? or does it mean the last cue Gus is known to have made?

Kevin
 
kvinbrwr said:
Chris

When you say the "last" Szam, is that the most recent Szam to be sold? or does it mean the last cue Gus is known to have made?

Kevin
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Kevin, think they are talking about Gus's last work....an unfinished fancy 8-pointer (i.e. no joint pin, ferrules/tips, finish, wrap, or bumper). You can see a wonderful artist's rendition of the cue on page 457 of The Billiard Encyclopedia 2nd ed. It's a beautiful fancy example !!
 
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