Palmer Custom Cue Help

[skip2134]

I recently picked up a Palmer Custom Cue and am curious of its value. The only thing the guy who owned it could tell me was that it was over 40 years old and he had barely ever if ever used it. It is in absolutely mint condition with a perfect original wrap. This cue has no points. Besides the black wrap, the only other marking is the label on the flawless but cap that says Palmer Custom Cue. This cue is also perfectly straight both together and apart. Here are a couple pictures. If anyone has any information on this cue and its value, please let me know. Thank you for your time.

 

[Secaucus Fats]

That appears to be a late 70's era Palmer (plain jane) it should be worth from $185 at the low end to approx $400 in mint condition (98% or better).

Late 70's Palmers are not as collectable as mid 70's and earlier Palmers and therefore do not command as high a price.

Fats

 

[Pushout]

Brass Joint? I would say SFats is correct, looks like late '70s to me, also. My wife had an earlier one, without the Plamer logo, long gone, now.

 

[TX Poolnut]

Nice looking cue there!

 

[Scott Lee]

Wow...I am 99% sure that you guys are WAY off here. For one thing, it is the wrong 'logo'. This "Palmer" cue is new generation, made in China, AFTER Pete Balner sold the company, in the 90's. None of the old Palmer cues had any label printed on the butt cap. They either had no identification (but you could tell, either from design, or ringwork), or there was a silver foil, inside a clear plastic window, in the butt sleeve, that usually was where someone's name could be put on, along with the Palmer name. PM Tate here. He is a Palmer collector, and can set you straight. This cue is NO WAY 40 years old, and not worth squat. Sorry to burst the bubble, but somebody sold you a line....

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

 

[TX Poolnut]

Maybe a PM-5 from this link? Looks like it's been rewrapped from the original black. That would make it a mid-late 1970s cue.

http://www.palmercollector.com/PMLine.html

 

[TATE]

Good call TexPoolNut.

It's a Palmer PM 3, from the early 1980's. The whole line was made by Adam cues in Japan to Palmer's specs. It's probably worth $100 - $150 as a player, and they're usually pretty competent players too.

The PB and PM line cues were full on production cues, whereas the original 1st, 2nd, and many of the 3rd catalog cues were made to order on a custom basis (weight, wrap, colors, name, shaft, length, etc).

Interestingly enough, do you know the difference between the PM and PB lines? They were both made by Adam, but Peter Balner's line was PB and Pete Margo worked for them and got monetary credit when the PM cues were sold, so that was his line. Anyway, I thought it was funny that the two Pete's were their own competition.

Chris

 

[TX Poolnut]

Good call TexPoolNut.

It's a Palmer PM 3, from the early 1980's. The whole line was made by Adam cues in Japan to Palmer's specs. It's probably worth $100 - $150 as a player, and they're usually pretty competent players too.

The PB and PM line cues were full on production cues, whereas the original 1st, 2nd, and many of the 3rd catalog cues were made to order on a custom basis (weight, wrap, colors, name, shaft, length, etc).

Interestingly enough, do you know the difference between the PM and PB lines? They were both made by Adam, but Peter Balner's line was PB and Pete Margo worked for them and got monetary credit when the PM cues were sold, so that was his line. Anyway, I thought it was funny that the two Pete's were their own competition.

Chris

The Palmer Gods have spoken.

TATE​

:bow-down::bow-down::bow-down::bow-down::bow-down::bow-down::bow-down:​

 

[skip2134]

The guy who I got the cue from has had the cue in storage for years and it is in absolutely mint condition. I don't believe that i was fed a line because the guy has no reason to lie to me. I appreciate everyones help. I now believe that it is the pm-3. Thanks.

 

[Scott Lee]

Chris...I knew you would know the answer. I was off by 10 years, but I thought this line was after Pete had sold the company. Obviously not. My error!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Good call TexPoolNut.

It's a Palmer PM 3, from the early 1980's. The whole line was made by Adam cues in Japan to Palmer's specs. It's probably worth $100 - $150 as a player, and they're usually pretty competent players too.

The PB and PM line cues were full on production cues, whereas the original 1st, 2nd, and many of the 3rd catalog cues were made to order on a custom basis (weight, wrap, colors, name, shaft, length, etc).

Interestingly enough, do you know the difference between the PM and PB lines? They were both made by Adam, but Peter Balner's line was PB and Pete Margo worked for them and got monetary credit when the PM cues were sold, so that was his line. Anyway, I thought it was funny that the two Pete's were their own competition.

Chris

 

[TATE]

Chris...I knew you would know the answer. I was off by 10 years, but I thought this line was after Pete had sold the company. Obviously not. My error!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Hi Scott,

Not your fault at all. It's very confusing because there were actually two different Palmer companies. I've cleared up a little of that history also, after doing some digging.

The original Palmer company closed its doors in 1994. Peter Balner and Pete Margo had already left and opened a video store chain (which they later sold for an absolute TON) and Mrs. Ilona Balner ran the company.

Well, the confusion comes from in the 1970's a man named Peter Chuang started a billiard operation in Taiwan. He saw the Palmer name on some cues that Adam had, liked it and "borrowed" it to create Palmer Industries. He probably never thought he would be selling his wares in the USA.

In the 1980's and 1990's, inexpensive cues with the Palmer name and a strange logo started showing up here, but they were made by Palmer Industries. The Balner's realized it would be too expensive to sue them internationally, so they let the cues come in. They were sold as cheapies, like Imperials.

A few years ago, a gentleman in Las Vegas bought the name. I understand that they are making many of their own cues now in their own shop and are still importing some and are selling them on E-Bay.

So, that's the story!

Chris

 

[eze]

I recently picked up a Palmer Custom Cue and am curious of its value. The only thing the guy who owned it could tell me was that it was over 40 years old and he had barely ever if ever used it. It is in absolutely mint condition with a perfect original wrap. This cue has no points. Besides the black wrap, the only other marking is the label on the flawless but cap that says Palmer Custom Cue. This cue is also perfectly straight both together and apart. Here are a couple pictures. If anyone has any information on this cue and its value, please let me know. Thank you for your time.

I have a old palmer ,maybe 30,40 years old .The logo is nothing like this.
I havnt played with it much lately,i want to say the butt of the cue is even
thicker than your normal cues....

 

[Scott Lee]

Chris...Thanks for the "re-education"! :thumbup: I thought I knew the Palmer story, and did for the most part. Jack White was good friends with Gene and Peter, and I got the story from him. Didn't know about Mr. Chuang, but I had seen the 'Palmer Industries' cues, and knew them not to be the same company. I just didn't know he got started in the 70's, and I did think that he 'bought' the Palmer name, after Pete sold the company. You're right, Peter B and Pete M sold their video store chain for gigantic money, and just at the right time. Pete Balner is a smart man, and I bet he foresaw the future of videotape rentals, and sold out way ahead. You ARE the "go to" guy for anything Palmer!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Hi Scott,

Not your fault at all. It's very confusing because there were actually two different Palmer companies. I've cleared up a little of that history also, after doing some digging.

The original Palmer company closed its doors in 1994. Peter Balner and Pete Margo had already left and opened a video store chain (which they later sold for an absolute TON) and Mrs. Ilona Balner ran the company.

Well, the confusion comes from in the 1970's a man named Peter Chuang started a billiard operation in Taiwan. He saw the Palmer name on some cues that Adam had, liked it and "borrowed" it to create Palmer Industries. He probably never thought he would be selling his wares in the USA.

In the 1980's and 1990's, inexpensive cues with the Palmer name and a strange logo started showing up here, but they were made by Palmer Industries. The Balner's realized it would be too expensive to sue them internationally, so they let the cues come in. They were sold as cheapies, like Imperials.

A few years ago, a gentleman in Las Vegas bought the name. I understand that they are making many of their own cues now in their own shop and are still importing some and are selling them on E-Bay.

So, that's the story!

Chris

 

[rackem]

Well Chris that is not quite the way I heard it.:thumbup:
I heard that the Peter Chaung you speak of actually bought the Palmer name from the Balners. I was told that he was the largest Brunswick dealer in Asia and that he thought having the Palmer name would provide a foothold in America. Before Palmer the name Wanston Sports was used. The first Palmer Asian clues I saw in the States arrived in the mid 90's. They had a blaclk trangle logo, like this.

Although I believe Palmer still remains active in the import slate business they sold the cue business to Fred, the gentleman you speak of in Vegas. Except he was still in California then.
He is in Vegas now But does not actually make any cues.
There are a few other details but that is the basics as I was told.

 

[Pushout]

Wow...I am 99% sure that you guys are WAY off here. For one thing, it is the wrong 'logo'. This "Palmer" cue is new generation, made in China, AFTER Pete Balner sold the company, in the 90's. None of the old Palmer cues had any label printed on the butt cap. They either had no identification (but you could tell, either from design, or ringwork), or there was a silver foil, inside a clear plastic window, in the butt sleeve, that usually was where someone's name could be put on, along with the Palmer name. PM Tate here. He is a Palmer collector, and can set you straight. This cue is NO WAY 40 years old, and not worth squat. Sorry to burst the bubble, but somebody sold you a line....

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I went by the Blue Book 2nd edtion, page388, which says that logo is from the late 1970s.