Cues that should no longer be played with

B

billinboston

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Hello
Can anyone recommend what a general rule seems to be on what price point cues get too expensive to use rather than to just collect. It seems like a lot of the pro's today use more of a player's grade cue, and years ago using fancy expensive cues was quite common. Not as many Szamboti's and hi grade cues like that in play anymore
Or for example... If you purchase a hi grade Palmer cue from the late sixties early seventies.... Would anyone actually use it ? Or is it strictly for collectors ?
And what are examples of nice cues to use as players cues that you don't necessarily have to worry about depreciation/ appreciation ?
Thanks
Bill
 
I only buy cues to play with...am on my third custom, cheapest was $700, the most expensive $2,000. Haven't hit my price point, yet. If I bought an old Palmer or even a Szam, you better believe I'd play with it.:grin:
 
There is no reason for me to buy a cue unless I am going to play with it. If I am looking for something pretty that will hold it's value there are much better options than buying a cue. I have no interest in saying hey look at this cue I bought and people look in awe at it then I pack it back up and put it into the safe.
 
I believe that every cue built is suppose to be played with. If I had a bushka I would hope I would use it... Maybe only on my own table because to me that would be a car guy's dream car. They would also take a few laps with it occasionally.
 
I know a guy that plays with a $10,000+ Barry Szamboti as his main player, so the point is north of that.
 
Well it's very simple economics. There are a lot of cues built, both of yesteryear, and even today, that cannot be justified financially to own, let alone use. But to those that can afford those cues, they do in fact use them.

JV
 
As far as I'm concerned, I will always play with any cue I own. If I can afford to buy it, I can afford to play with it.

The only thing that might change for me is whether I take it to the pool hall. I have a table in my basement, so I'd play with any cue in my own home...taking something more expensive to the pool hall where I'd be more worried about other people, might be a different matter.
 
I have to say this thread raises questions for me. Here in the UK players tend to play with one cue and one cue only for each given sport. Players will absolutely not swap around - unless it might be to bang around in a bar or something on a night out.

I would not even consider playing a tour match or even a league match with anything but my primary cue.
 
My 1984 Richard Black Casino hits just fine I look at it and say wow how lucky can a cue ball be..
 
My player is $400.
My breaker is $150.
My jump cue is $125.
So I have three cues, all custom, for $675 and I use them like they were meant to be used.

If my player was $4,000.
My breaker was $1,500.
And my jump cue was $1,250.
You better believe I'd be playing with them.
 
I play with my Gus Hoppe cue. Its the best playing cue I have ever owned.

I play with all of my cues.

Moreover, if I am out and you want to "hit a few", I let folks do that too.

Its just a piece of wood. :rolleyes:

Ken
 
Ken_4fun said:
I play with my Gus Hoppe cue. Its the best playing cue I have ever owned.

I play with all of my cues.

Moreover, if I am out and you want to "hit a few", I let folks do that too.

Its just a piece of wood. :rolleyes:

Ken
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I don't want to own a cue that I can't take out and play with. The only worry I have is some low life walking off with my cue if I have to use the restroom, but I usually ask someone to watch my cue if that happens. I've really been paranoid about thieves since my GMC pickup was stollen from the parking lot while I was inside playing in my 9 ball league. It's been over a year and I'm still sick about losing my truck!

I play with all my cues and enjoy everyone of them!
 
I think is a offense to cuemaker if he build a cue, and that cue doesn't play, art should be functional.

If I'd have an expensive custom cue, I'd play with him, I'm a player, not a collector.
 
It's like anything in almost everything that has been made, there is collectors, maybe collectors of cheaper cues to the exotic. Look at cars for instance, thank goodness some people have the means of collecting cars that are fantastic for the main stream public to witness. Cues to me are the same. Some people have the means to collect the cues for the rest of us to witness at some time. Most of us who invest in a cue that might be on the rare side want to shoot with it where others put it away as a value investment or a memory filled when just looking at it. My father for instance, is 80 years old and has been a Harley rider since his teens. He still has one, never to ride again, but, to say and know he still has a Harley, no difference in cues. Someone may just want the to say they have a original balabushka or original palmer. I am lucky to have the trust in me by several collectors as I get to hunt and hunt for very specific items and get to see works of art in a brief time period before hopefully presenting them to the right collector, unless they nix my presentation, then, I'm scrambling to unload it, lol. I saw recently a complete corvette collection on you tube that showed every model in black as that's the rarest color. Super amazing !!, now, most of us would be having a blast driving one instead of just having the car delivered and parked in it's final resting place for eternity, but, I am also thrilled to view the collection and glad he has had the means over the years to build on. Oh yeah, imagine his love for the corvette's, think it paid off for him ??. wow.
Just my opinion, there's never a wrong thought to obtaining something you've dreamed about, shooting with or not.
 
billinboston said:
Hello
Can anyone recommend what a general rule seems to be on what price point cues get too expensive to use rather than to just collect. It seems like a lot of the pro's today use more of a player's grade cue, and years ago using fancy expensive cues was quite common. Not as many Szamboti's and hi grade cues like that in play anymore
Or for example... If you purchase a hi grade Palmer cue from the late sixties early seventies.... Would anyone actually use it ? Or is it strictly for collectors ?
And what are examples of nice cues to use as players cues that you don't necessarily have to worry about depreciation/ appreciation ?
Thanks
Bill
Click to expand...
I have owned a lot of nice cues over the years and always played with them. I even as recently as late 90's played in tournaments with a Balabushka. I stopped using it mainly because I liked another cue I had made better. But also because it did attract attention and lets face it who wants to get hit over the head and robbed for a cue.

I feel the same about guns. I knew guys who want their nice guns to be almost unfired. Not me, I don't care if it hurts the value I want to shoot the gun.
 
SCCues said:
I agree with you. I don't want to own a cue that I can't take out and play with. The only worry I have is some low life walking off with my cue if I have to use the restroom, but I usually ask someone to watch my cue if that happens. I've really been paranoid about thieves since my GMC pickup was stollen from the parking lot while I was inside playing in my 9 ball league. It's been over a year and I'm still sick about losing my truck!

I play with all my cues and enjoy everyone of them!
Click to expand...

That is always a real worry. When some cues get stolen is is often not bad luck. People know what you have and some may just wait for the chance to get it. Unlike your truck cues are not usually insured. I honestly do not let my cues out of my sight when I am at a pool room of bar. I don't want to lose even a cheap cue if it a cue I like. Cues you really like to play with are not that easy to replace. People will steal anything regardless, why make it any easier.
 
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