How to count inlays...determining the "Level" of cue

8

8onthebreak

THE WORLD IS YOURS
Silver Member
Cues seem to be categorized in value by what "level" they fit into...
THe following is from blue bookofpoolcuevalues.com
Level 1 =4 point hustler...
Level 2 =no points, 0-25 inlays
Level 3 =2-6 points, 0-8 inlays
Level 4 =4-10 points, 9-25 inlays
Level 5 =0-12 points, 26-50 inlays
Level 6 =0-12 points, 51-75 inlays
Level 7 =0-12 points, 76-125 inlays
Level 8 =4+ points, 126+ inlays

My question is,...what constitutes an "inlay"?
The regular inlays are self explanatory, one big diamond of ivory for example,but my lack of clarity falls with veneers and ringwork...
Is each seperate piece in each ring an "inlay" or is each ring an inlay?
I see no mention also of veneers in value charts...# of points are mentioned, but not veneers?

How would a cue with 6 points, all recut with points, with 4 veneers be differentiated from a 4 point basic cue ?

Pics would be great also when describing tougher scenarios.

Smart a$$es plz don't post anything...this is an honest question.
 
8onthebreak said:
Cues seem to be categorized in value by what "level" they fit into...
THe following is from blue bookofpoolcuevalues.com
Level 1 =4 point hustler...
Level 2 =no points, 0-25 inlays
Level 3 =2-6 points, 0-8 inlays
Level 4 =4-10 points, 9-25 inlays
Level 5 =0-12 points, 26-50 inlays
Level 6 =0-12 points, 51-75 inlays
Level 7 =0-12 points, 76-125 inlays
Level 8 =4+ points, 126+ inlays

My question is,...what constitutes an "inlay"?
The regular inlays are self explanatory, one big diamond of ivory for example,but my lack of clarity falls with veneers and ringwork...
Is each seperate piece in each ring an "inlay" or is each ring an inlay?
I see no mention also of veneers in value charts...# of points are mentioned, but not veneers?

How would a cue with 6 points, all recut with points, with 4 veneers be differentiated from a 4 point basic cue ?

Pics would be great also when describing tougher scenarios.

Smart a$$es plz don't post anything...this is an honest question.
Click to expand...


My cue has 16 points.. no inlays :D
No category for that :eek:
 
Told

On the inlays I was told to count everything that has been inlaid even in the rings and also when the shafts have collars inlaid.This reply came from one of the most sought after cue makers.With recut points not veneers, they are not inlays, but make sure on the recuts that they are counted as points.I have a cue that I called a 6 pointer, when I showed it to the Cue maker, he said this is a 12 point cue, since the 3 tall points all were recut 3 times, while the short point were not.
 
Is it really that scientific though?

I get the impression cues are valued based pretty much on reputation, age/provenance, and what's hot right now.

You can put whatever price you want as a seller but the cue is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Similarly if you're a buyer, you probably won't be able to talk a price down by saying "but the website says this is only a level 4."
 
Technically every individual part should count as one (1).

But theres alot of grey area that know one will ever agree on like paper in stacked veneers and other 'filler'...even surface appliques.

Then when you add in all the various methods and techniques, it can get even greyer.

Bottom line is I don't thing it really matters. Each builder/company/whatever establishes their own levels and price structure, that's where the dollar meets the road anyway.
 
I have a Dominiak prototype with 100 inlays on ebony and yellow osage cue according to the cue maker. Never thought of it as level 7, but I suppose by the above definition it is?
 
When I was collecting cues, it was long before the Blue Books. I was told that rings and veneers were not inlays (unless it was custom produced rings) . Inlays were what were embedded in the body of the cue (within points or not), in the nose and the butt sleeve (and/or handle, if there's no wrap). A floating point, imo, would be considered an inlay, whereas a 'stock' point would not...jmo, and I'm no cuemaker.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
 
The 3 main things that determine value in a cue are:
1. Who made it?
2. How Fancy is it?
3. What condition is it in.

1. and 3. are easy to define. For 2., definitions had to be created.

The definitions are not perfect, and the more creative custom cues become, the more exceptions there are.
 
As stated above, personal opinions differ. That said, my personal opinion on inlays is this:

Every individual piece that is cut and glued into a matching hole is an inlay, with the exception of billet-made ring work (See picture from Prather website - No, I'm not making any comments whatsoever about Prather's products; I'm just using their picture and giving them credit that it's their picture.). I do not believe you can count billet-made ring work as inlays. I personally believe doing so artificially increases the number of inlays in the cue, thereby artificially increasing the value of the cue.

When the billet of ring work is made, slots are cut into the main ring body and thin strips of wood are glued into those slots, which obviously passes any definition of an inlay. But, if you cut off 5 rings from the 8-slot ring billet, does that add 40 inlays to the cue? My personal opinion says no. I can see counting the 5 rings as 8 inlays.

Also, I don't believe you can count veneers as inlays because they are typically just stacked together with the point or actual inlay piece. If the cue maker cuts 0.030" wide inlay pockets and glues thin strips of veneers into said pockets, then that's a veneer inlay.

Furthermore, if the 8-slot ring billet had black veneers on either side of the maple inlay, would that be considered 24 inlays? Again, my personal opinion says no, because all the "veneer inlays" required was to be cut from a veneer sheet and stacked together with the maple inlay.

So, taken to the limit, an 8-slot billet with black veneers on each side of the maple inlay, yielding 5 rings could be counted as 120 inlays by someone wishing to increase the inlay count. Is that really 120 inlays? Nope. It's 8.
 

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