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Funny pic/gif thread...
- By hotelyorba
- Main Forum
- 77677 Replies
it's a pool-forum. Let's keep it pool-related.
Interesting Facts on a Recent Vintage Viking Cue Purchase
- By mikemosconi
- Main Forum
- 11 Replies
I recently purchased a vintage Viking Cue here on our For Sale section. The cue struck me for several reasons: I never owned a Viking Cue among 150+ cues over the years, it was a late 80s/ early 90s very nice looking six pointer, the cue looked to be in terrific original condition at a good price point - so I bought it.
Receiving this cue, it was straight, in great condition, played fantastic, the points and butt sleeve are Bolivian Rosewood, highly figured BEM forearm, 3/8 10 pin, white solid implex or delrin joint.
What really caught my eye, though was the red/white/ red veneers were definitely Wico type vinyl veneers and the wrap appears and feels to be Cortland linen.
The plain Viking name in the oval logo on the buttcap without the U.S.A lettering pointed to N series Viking 89-92 timeframe - but their N series catalog does not show this cue- did I have something special?
Well , yes, to me very special - calls and emails to Viking's longest tenured employee reveals this cue to be a one off, special order, non catalog 89-92 cue. It is referred to as a VCO- Viking Collection Original Cue!
Vinyl veneering was perfected by Bob Meucci , used on some cues by both Balabushka and Gus Szamboti, as well as other well known makers, and taught to Gordi Hart of Viking by Bob- whereas Viking used vinyl veneers on some cues mostly in the 70s but also into the 80s.
Viking stated that they had no other records of six point inter- locking vinyl veneer cues - this one with overlapping veneers was the only one seen or known - and records that I could find of any other cue maker using vinyl veneers under the Wico name could not find another six pointer with vinyl veneers.
Do I have the only six pointer ever produced with inter- locking vinyl veneers? I don't know for sure- but I cannot find any indication of others in existence- would anyone here know otherwise? Being a VCO would almost be secondary to having a One- of a Kind - EVER produced!
In any event I am posing a few photos, I love this cue and thankful that I was able to buy it here from a very nice guy in the transaction and I thought this story would interest other cue guys from a historical perspective.
Receiving this cue, it was straight, in great condition, played fantastic, the points and butt sleeve are Bolivian Rosewood, highly figured BEM forearm, 3/8 10 pin, white solid implex or delrin joint.
What really caught my eye, though was the red/white/ red veneers were definitely Wico type vinyl veneers and the wrap appears and feels to be Cortland linen.
The plain Viking name in the oval logo on the buttcap without the U.S.A lettering pointed to N series Viking 89-92 timeframe - but their N series catalog does not show this cue- did I have something special?
Well , yes, to me very special - calls and emails to Viking's longest tenured employee reveals this cue to be a one off, special order, non catalog 89-92 cue. It is referred to as a VCO- Viking Collection Original Cue!
Vinyl veneering was perfected by Bob Meucci , used on some cues by both Balabushka and Gus Szamboti, as well as other well known makers, and taught to Gordi Hart of Viking by Bob- whereas Viking used vinyl veneers on some cues mostly in the 70s but also into the 80s.
Viking stated that they had no other records of six point inter- locking vinyl veneer cues - this one with overlapping veneers was the only one seen or known - and records that I could find of any other cue maker using vinyl veneers under the Wico name could not find another six pointer with vinyl veneers.
Do I have the only six pointer ever produced with inter- locking vinyl veneers? I don't know for sure- but I cannot find any indication of others in existence- would anyone here know otherwise? Being a VCO would almost be secondary to having a One- of a Kind - EVER produced!
In any event I am posing a few photos, I love this cue and thankful that I was able to buy it here from a very nice guy in the transaction and I thought this story would interest other cue guys from a historical perspective.
Chinese pool starting to steal more and more 9 ballers, even without the big prize pool
- Main Forum
- 41 Replies
With snooker I think the boom is just local to China rather than the whole of Asia, but according to this article there are 300,000 snooker clubs in China and there are apparently 50-60 million snooker players in China:
China launches snooker team league in bid to become 'leading powerhouse'
A new snooker league has launched in China as the country bids to 'move from a major billiards nation to a leading powerhouse.'
metro.co.uk
Last years world championship final was viewed by 25 million on Chinese TV and more people watched it online (424 million streams, though that figure is for whole tournament, not just the final)
Zhao’s Victory Has Massive Impact On Chinese Audience
The Official Website of World Snooker
www.wst.tv
Think Matchroom started organising tournaments in China hoping it would become a new market, then Ding Junhui emerged as an elite player which helped grow the sport more. And it's just mushroomed in popularity from there.
The irony being that snooker halls are becoming rarer and rarer in the UK, and there aren't as many good players emerging from the UK. Ronnie O'Sullivan is probably the only snooker player that's actually a well known name to the general public. So it is a bit worrying what will happen to the game after he retires (he's already playing in a lot less events). Though they are bringing back a popular game show involving snooker to tv, so maybe that will help it get a bit more mainstream.
Just noticed after saying that the snooker boom is just in China and not the rest of Asia, that when you look at the womens world rankings there are quite a lot of women from Thailand doing well:
World Rankings | WWS | Women's Snooker
View the latest rankings via WPBSA SnookerScores. The WWS world rankings operate on a rolling two-year basis. Learn more by reading our Rankings FAQ. We [...]
www.womenssnooker.com
Number one player is from Hong Kong and I wonder if that formerly being a British colony has left a snooker culture there. I know a lot of African countries play English pool rather than American pool which I'm pretty sure must be down to colonisation.
Pool cue cases
- By Frosty
- Main Forum
- 55 Replies
He is one of the few I’ve seen that still uses tubes instead of that awful JB style interior that everyone seems to love for whatever reason I can’t figure out.
Uses full grain Italian leathers and exotics like my Ostrich skin here. Everything is hand saddle stitched, leathers are hand dyed. Old world craftsmanship and quality which is like a breath of fresh air in a world full of JB Rugged’s.