What is the best way to get the most money out of selling my Balabushka Cue?

TATE said:
Getting it sold for a fair price to a reliable buyer would be my goal, and unless you have a lot of experience selling cues, I would probably be looking for help. The sellers who can get a good price will charge you a commission. You can try to sell it here on AZ if you have a good idea of the value.

If you're looking for a general value, Pete Tascarella is good with values. Balabushka's are always going to bring big dollars. If you don't have experience selling cues, I recommend that you have someone with a lot of experience sell the cues for you.

Ken Kerner posts as Highendcues and I think he would be a good seller. Another person who has a great touch moving high end cues is Kevin Brewer, who sells primarily on E-bay and also posts here (he sold a $55,000 Szamboti on E-Bay!!!) . Mark Kulungian and Joe Van Buren sell cues on consignment through their web site, www.classiccues.com

You will have to pay a commission to these gentlemen, but they are likely to get you a decent price for your cue.

Chris
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Thank you Chris, that's very nice of you.

Kevin
 
if you want to get the most money as thats what you said. you will either send the cue to a broker and let him sell it or put detailed pictures up here with your price. then start taking offers. otherwise you are going to get not the best price or not get to sell it.
 
As mentioned prior by Tate, your best bet would be consignment through a respectable high end cue dealer. This would allow the dealer to take the steps necessary to fully authenticate the cue's provenance and proper evaluation of the condition of the cue. Best of luck.
 
Pushout said:
??? I was under the impression that George didn't build cues except to order. I've never heard that anyone brokered cues for him or that he made extra cues just to sell if someone just wanted one and didn't care what was in it or what it looked like. I could be wrong but that is what I've always understood.
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Where did you get this impression - contemporary reports tell of
George walking into his favorite pool room with a shopping bag full of cues.

Comentary said people would haggle a bit over the prices - but not very much.

Them was the days

Dale
 
mamono said:
As mentioned prior by Tate, your best bet would be consignment through a respectable high end cue dealer. This would allow the dealer to take the steps necessary to fully authenticate the cue's provenance and proper evaluation of the condition of the cue. Best of luck.
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I appreciate your suggestion, but selling the cue via consignment would only add to the final purchase price of the cue or more likely reduce the amount of money I receive from the sale of the cue.
The fewer hands in the pot the better deal the buyer can make.
Peter A. Tascarella Sr. has already fully authenticated the cue's provenance and provided an accurate and proper evaluation of the condition of the cue plus the escrow service provider will be able to confirm Pete's evalution of the cue before the buyers payment is released to me the seller.
Escrow services will be provided to protect the buyer from purchasing a cue that was not authentic or was not in the condition I have described.
I have confidence in the authenticity and described condition of the cue therefore, I am willing to pay to send the cue to an agreed upon escrow service provider in complete confidence that the agreed upon escrow service provider will confirm the authenticity and described condition of the cue and recommend the completion of the transaction to the buyer before releasing payment to me the seller.
If anybody is seriously interested, please PM me and we can exchange more contact information.
I am willing to talk to you on the phone and answer any questions or concerns you might have.
I am also willing to meet with any prospective buyers in the Tampa Bay area and they can inspect the cue and documentation in person.
I have nothing to hide.
I just want to sell the cue.http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=194418
 
Bill Yerd said:
I appreciate your suggestion, but selling the cue via consignment would only add to the final purchase price of the cue or more likely reduce the amount of money I receive from the sale of the cue.
The fewer hands in the pot the better deal the buyer can make.
Peter A. Tascarella Sr. has already fully authenticated the cue's provenance and provided an accurate and proper evaluation of the condition of the cue plus the escrow service provider will be able to confirm Pete's evalution of the cue before the buyers payment is released to me the seller.
Escrow services will be provided to protect the buyer from purchasing a cue that was not authentic or was not in the condition I have described.
I have confidence in the authenticity and described condition of the cue therefore, I am willing to pay to send the cue to an agreed upon escrow service provider in complete confidence that the agreed upon escrow service provider will confirm the authenticity and described condition of the cue and recommend the completion of the transaction to the buyer before releasing payment to me the seller.
If anybody is seriously interested, please PM me and we can exchange more contact information.
I am willing to talk to you on the phone and answer any questions or concerns you might have.
I am also willing to meet with any prospective buyers in the Tampa Bay area and they can inspect the cue and documentation in person.
I have nothing to hide.
I just want to sell the cue.http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=194418
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Bill,

When you first posted this without photos, I assumed it was a fancier Balabushka with some work since you mentioned the Blue Book value at $12,500 - that's why I suggested a reputable dealer.

This is a straight forward Balabushka Spain 4 pointer. Is this the same cue? How did you come up with the Blue Book price?

Chris
 
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First, get an idea of the cue's worth. Get an estimate from several people. YOU DON'T NEED A MIDDLE MAN to cut him a %. The high-end cue collecting community is not that large. If you find one high end collector, chances are if he's not interested he can lead you to another. Bill Stroud has been holding annual cue collector's gathering for a decade at least. He probably knows every high-end collector out there. Try to contact him. Once you get a lead, everything will snowball. Besides your letter of authenticity, one from Tascarella wouldn't hurt either.

Lastly and most obviously, make sure the money is secured before you let the cue go.
 
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TATE said:
Bill,

When you first posted this without photos, I assumed it was a fancier Balabushka with some work since you mentioned the Blue Book value at $12,500 - that's why I suggested a reputable dealer.

This is a straight forward Balabushka Spain 4 pointer. Is this the same cue? How did you come up with the Blue Book price?

Chris
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Chris,
People interpret the pricing as they see fit. The cue is listed at 9900 or BO in the for sale section. As I read the 3rd edition I get a slightly different number. A level 3 Bushka with a Spain blank starts at 9000 in 98% condition. For sake of arguement, lets say that's what it is. I think it might be closer to 95-90. One shaft will cost him $ 1000 in deduction. That is 8k, Pete charges 150 or 200 or so for the letter, 8200.00 if you read the BB the way I read it.

This cue would list in the 7-8k range on our site. It's a great looking cue that is hurt by the lack of the second shaft. You might end up with less due to the economy, but in general I like the cue. It's still a nice piece of history.

Joe
 
uwate said:
unfortunately now is not the time to sell unless you are willing to accept alot less than 12.5k. The collectibles market is down considerably and follows the overall economy. You probably know all this.
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I, respectfully, disagree with this statement. High end collectible market is doing well. Note I said high end. Middle of the road stuff is not doing so well. People with money are diversifying into collectibles to protect themselves from inflation and uncertainty of the stock market.
 
$5,997 Balabushka is a great deal according to this.

classiccues said:
Chris,
People interpret the pricing as they see fit. The cue is listed at 9900 or BO in the for sale section. As I read the 3rd edition I get a slightly different number. A level 3 Bushka with a Spain blank starts at 9000 in 98% condition. For sake of arguement, lets say that's what it is. I think it might be closer to 95-90. One shaft will cost him $ 1000 in deduction. That is 8k, Pete charges 150 or 200 or so for the letter, 8200.00 if you read the BB the way I read it.

This cue would list in the 7-8k range on our site. It's a great looking cue that is hurt by the lack of the second shaft. You might end up with less due to the economy, but in general I like the cue. It's still a nice piece of history.

Joe
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Thanks for your appraisal Joe.
 
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