Mysterious RICH cues

Chopdoc

Chopdoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Does anybody have any history on cues with this logo?

http://www.proficientbilliards.com/cues/rich/traditional/index.htm

I have searched the forum as well as spoken to a knowledgeable member here and these cues seem to be a mystery.

When were they made? Where? Import or US?

Were they associated with the Rich family of cues we all know or was it some other maker or distributor?

Imperial? Other?

Does anybody have a catalog or brochure of these cues?

I recently acquired one but don't have decent pics yet so I linked to one that has the same logo.

Any information or productive discussion on the matter would be appreciated. :smile::smile::smile:

I am under no illusion they are particularly valuable.






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Valuable or not, they look like good cues.

The one in the link you provided cleaned up really nice.

I'd like to hit some with one of those cues.
 
cue fix said:
I believe that logo came after the production went overseas
Click to expand...

That has been the rumor. But at this point zero evidence.

Th assumption is that they are part of the Rich line and were most likely near the end of the Imperial line. But again...zero evidence.

They do seem to be late seventies or early eighties cues.


They don't appear in any catalogs, brochures, or ads that anybody has shared yet.


They have been asked about before here on AZB and so far there is nothing except some assumptions.

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HawaiianEye said:
Valuable or not, they look like good cues.

The one in the link you provided cleaned up really nice.

I'd like to hit some with one of those cues.
Click to expand...

The one I have seems decent. Not like the Imperial made cues we know...but not quite up to Adam standard either, so I doubt Adam made them.

It has a push in mushroom bumper sort of like an old Viking (but not a Viking) or like an old Mali (but not a Mali). And a pointed brass pin. Mine is more pointy than the one in the pic I linked.

They do seem decently made. At least not garbage.

The butt cap seems to be delrin, which would be very unusual for an import.

I have been curious about them for years and just happened on one for cheap. Got it with a case I was after. I am glad to have an example but am now even more curious of the story behind them.

I'll probably post about it if I take it to the pool hall.





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HawaiianEye said:
The one in the link you provided cleaned up really nice.
Click to expand...

By the way, yes it did clean up nice, I agree. Not a bad looking cue.

AFAIK those logos come off when the finish comes off, so I don't know if he reproduced it or figured a way to save it.

My logo is intact, but I have seen others flaking off with the finish.




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Interesting, and hard to place exactly. However,

The joint pin looks like 5/16 X 18. Standard Palmer catalogs one through three.

Joint collars look like Palmer, various vintages.

Points look a bit pushed up, some Palmers showed this, but most didn't.

On the other hand, Helmstetter and all its' incarnations, Adam, etc, did a lot of full splices, and very pushed up points.

However, I don't remember any Helmstetter cues with the white pear-ite joint collars. Definitely a more Palmer-like look.

That squared-off bumper looks mostly Palmer, but could have been replaced by Scot. Not much of a clue there.

Not sure, definitely not a product of Abe Rich.

There you go, pretty difficult, isn't it. When Palmer migrated out of this country, this could have been one, for some reason, with a Rich logo. Or not.

All the best,
WW
 
WildWing said:
That squared-off bumper looks mostly Palmer, but could have been replaced by Scot. Not much of a clue there.


All the best,
WW
Click to expand...


Yes, it was replaced. Mine has the original. When I get a chance I'll post pics. The original is a mushroom style sort of a cross between the old Viking and old Mali. Rounded, but does not protrude as much as the Viking, yet not as flattened as the Mali style. I believe this is original because I have compared it to many pictures.

I'll be pulling cues out in January and will be able to make some direct comparisons then.

I haven't looked under the bumper so I don't know what is there yet. Been too busy. I've had the cue since before Christmas...but just too darn busy. Heck, I am working right now! :D

OK...back to client.....

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Chopdoc said:
Yes, it was replaced. Mine has the original. When I get a chance I'll post pics. The original is a mushroom style sort of a cross between the old Viking and old Mali. Rounded, but does not protrude as much as the Viking, yet not as flattened as the Mali style. I believe this is original because I have compared it to many pictures.

I'll be pulling cues out in January and will be able to make some direct comparisons then.

I haven't looked under the bumper so I don't know what is there yet. Been too busy. I've had the cue since before Christmas...but just too darn busy. Heck, I am working right now! :D

OK...back to client.....




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Click to expand...
.in your profession
arent they called patients??:confused:
 
Chopdoc said:
That has been the rumor. But at this point zero evidence.

Th assumption is that they are part of the Rich line and were most likely near the end of the Imperial line. But again...zero evidence.

They do seem to be late seventies or early eighties cues.


They don't appear in any catalogs, brochures, or ads that anybody has shared yet.


They have been asked about before here on AZB and so far there is nothing except some assumptions.

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Click to expand...

Here's a pic of the catalog. All I had was a photo and I posted in in a thread. I no longer have the original but I believe it said 1983. It was a bit of misleading advertising. Though the catalog said "America's Oldest maker of Custom Cues" if I recall the back said this line was imported from Taiwan and distributed in USA.



http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=2533415&highlight=rich+catalog#post2533415
 

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bbb said:
.in your profession
arent they called patients??:confused:
Click to expand...



I am a "doctor's doctor". My clients have patients.


My clients are doctors and medical students. :wink:


You know when the doctor steps out to "check on something"? There is a chance he might be calling me. :thumbup:


I am kind of like House...only real...and not jacked up on drugs. :D Maybe at times just as moody but actually medically better than they portray him on TV...he's actually miserably terrible at diagnostics, it's just made for TV drama but you'll understand the reference. :)


I might have a CT up on one screen while I am looking at pool cues on another and posting here on the third screen. :D





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TATE said:
Here's a pic of the catalog - think it was 1983. These were Taiwan cues but good quality. Someone emailed me the photo long ago. Do these look like the ones? It was a bit of misleading advertising. Though the catalog said "America's Oldest maker of Custom Cues" if I recall the back said this line was imported.



http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?p=2533415&highlight=rich+catalog#post2533415
Click to expand...



Holy crap!


Mine is the seventh from the right!


Thanks!

Wish it were more readable. I can't quite make out the model...nor most of the other text.


So...did these have anything to do with the old Rich cues? I get the impression they did not. I don't see "Imperial" anywhere on there and Imperial owned them in the end.


I am hoping we can come up with a nice scan of that. I would love to be able to read it.





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Sorry, Doc, I wish I had the orginal pic. It's on some old computer sitting in a warehouse.

Al's Billiard Supply was just a retailer whose name was printed on the folder. The importer was "Western Supply" in Sun Valley, California (San Fernando Valley). . The brochure has copyright 1983. The phone number shows (213) area code, which is correct for the time, since it split in 1984 into (818) in Sun Valley.

Anyway, this is a Rich Cue made after Imperial bought the company.
 
Chopdoc said:
I am a "doctor's doctor". My clients have patients.


My clients are doctors and medical students. :wink:


You know when the doctor steps out to "check on something"? There is a chance he might be calling me. :thumbup:


I am kind of like House...only real...and not jacked up on drugs. :D Maybe at times just as moody but actually medically better than they portray him on TV...he's actually miserably terrible at diagnostics, it's just made for TV drama but you'll understand the reference. :)


I might have a CT up on one screen while I am looking at pool cues on another and posting here on the third screen. :D





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Click to expand...

In defense of "House" - he is a version of Sherlock Holmes - so the drugs are welded to the character,
as is the arrogance.

The cues look very Adam-ish to me.

Imperial doesn't make cues do they?
 
pdcue said:
In defense of "House" - he is a version of Sherlock Holmes - so the drugs are welded to the character,
as is the arrogance.

The cues look very Adam-ish to me.

Imperial doesn't make cues do they?
Click to expand...

If I had to guess, it would be KPS Taiwan (Ernie Chen's company) , the forerunner of Falcon cues. In the 1980's, KPS was providing a lot of the outsourced lines as well as parts - it is very difficult to distinguish them from Adam cues.
 
TATE said:
Sorry, Doc, I wish I had the orginal pic. It's on some old computer sitting in a warehouse.

Al's Billiard Supply was just a retailer whose name was printed on the folder. The importer was "Western Supply" in Sun Valley, California (San Fernando Valley). . The brochure has copyright 1983. The phone number shows (213) area code, which is correct for the time, since it split in 1984 into (818) in Sun Valley.

Anyway, this is a Rich Cue made after Imperial bought the company.
Click to expand...



I understand it was just the retailer but I couldn't read anything else and thought I would run some searches on it anyway. Always curious.




Never know...somebody may turn up with a nice scan of that at some point.

Thank you so much for the pic! :smile:





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