Rambow
- Thread starter GoldCrown
- Start date
Yeah, but I don't care about the newspaper article. I just want the cue! I have a feeling neither of us will ever get it though.
I sold one on a no reserve auction on ebay April 2014, similar model without the "Made by Rambow" inscription or the extra white ring on the sleeve and it went for about $1800 if I recall. You can't tell by looking at pictures if the buttcap is ivory or not, but most likely it is. The ivory on mine had a similar patina and very fine grain, only visible under magnification under light.
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Something about a horses head
I'm pretty sure it not for sale. Should the owner decide to sell it and he is reading this thread he can make contact here as I'm not involved. Also I have no contact #'s so I cannot inform him of the interest. He is most likely following the posts.
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He better hurry. The price has gone down $1000 just since this thread was started!
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I do not gamble...but I'd bet it's not for sale. The cue was posted only to gather some info and value...not to arouse the appetite. Some things in life are priceless and not for sale.
One really nice example with a Hoppe ring, two shafts, and no signature recently sold. The seller took an offer somewhere South of $2k, how far South of that we don't know. It had a formal LOA as well.
Generally, real world recent sales are the best guide for value. But even then, only the buyer ultimately determines the real value.
As I said before, I would insure it for $3K.
I think that what the discussion has revealed is a value range that is realistic. I think most here understand the how and why of that range. The key word is range.
The question of whether or not the butt cap is ivory complicates the value issue. It can be hard to say how it will affect the value. An interested serious buyer willing to pay more may have their purchase options limited by the current laws and regulations.
Tate's sale is almost three years old, but it still has some relevance to the discussion of value.
Deanoc made an offer, and he seems to be serious. But that is only one offer so at the moment it sets the minimum value. Dean is a wily old dog with a great sense of humor but he is serious about cues. He has a reputation for passing on great values. I don't think he does that by over paying in the first place so we can imagine that his offer is solid but represents the bottom end for the value.
Then there is some suggestion of the provenance of the cue connecting to another genre of collectibles which further opens the potential market for the cue.
We are all aware of Ebay sellers trying to pull 3 or even 4 grand out of such cues and they just keep relisting them.
If I were selling it and had time I would want 2 grand and stand my ground. If I needed cash I would ask 2 and take offers and hopefully get 1800...but might have to take 1500 if I were in a hurry. In a big hurry would mean taking Dean's offer of 1200 today so I can pay somebody to not break my legs tomorrow.
If I had lots of time and were not worried about when it sells then I would be at 2500. And if I were a real high end dealer with a web site, stock, and overhead, I might put a retail on it closer to 3K
Insured value in my mind is therefore at 3 grand.
And hence we have a range of value. Of course...that is from the standpoint of my somewhat amateur observation.
You guys know a lot more about these cues than I do. If it were in my hands I would get it to an expert for examination and maybe arrange for a little cleaning. That would certainly help nail down a value determination. Internet pictures just aren't a replacement for that IMHO.
I will say as well that with the contribution of the discussion about the possible provenance of the cue this has been a very entertaining thread. The cue by itself is wonderful of course. And as was said these cues are certainly under appreciated, at least where their market value is concerned. There are too many other cues in this range that I would buy first personally. And I think many others feel the same. Not that I don't dig the cue. I would probably drop 1500 on a lower end JW first for example. Tip of the hat to Mr Stroud. :wink: I really, really dig the old cues...but I am a bargain hunter. No question that if I hit the lottery I will be buying a cue like this and probably more than one.
.
Generally, real world recent sales are the best guide for value. But even then, only the buyer ultimately determines the real value.
As I said before, I would insure it for $3K.
I think that what the discussion has revealed is a value range that is realistic. I think most here understand the how and why of that range. The key word is range.
The question of whether or not the butt cap is ivory complicates the value issue. It can be hard to say how it will affect the value. An interested serious buyer willing to pay more may have their purchase options limited by the current laws and regulations.
Tate's sale is almost three years old, but it still has some relevance to the discussion of value.
Deanoc made an offer, and he seems to be serious. But that is only one offer so at the moment it sets the minimum value. Dean is a wily old dog with a great sense of humor but he is serious about cues. He has a reputation for passing on great values. I don't think he does that by over paying in the first place so we can imagine that his offer is solid but represents the bottom end for the value.
Then there is some suggestion of the provenance of the cue connecting to another genre of collectibles which further opens the potential market for the cue.
We are all aware of Ebay sellers trying to pull 3 or even 4 grand out of such cues and they just keep relisting them.
If I were selling it and had time I would want 2 grand and stand my ground. If I needed cash I would ask 2 and take offers and hopefully get 1800...but might have to take 1500 if I were in a hurry. In a big hurry would mean taking Dean's offer of 1200 today so I can pay somebody to not break my legs tomorrow.
If I had lots of time and were not worried about when it sells then I would be at 2500. And if I were a real high end dealer with a web site, stock, and overhead, I might put a retail on it closer to 3K
Insured value in my mind is therefore at 3 grand.
And hence we have a range of value. Of course...that is from the standpoint of my somewhat amateur observation.
You guys know a lot more about these cues than I do. If it were in my hands I would get it to an expert for examination and maybe arrange for a little cleaning. That would certainly help nail down a value determination. Internet pictures just aren't a replacement for that IMHO.
I will say as well that with the contribution of the discussion about the possible provenance of the cue this has been a very entertaining thread. The cue by itself is wonderful of course. And as was said these cues are certainly under appreciated, at least where their market value is concerned. There are too many other cues in this range that I would buy first personally. And I think many others feel the same. Not that I don't dig the cue. I would probably drop 1500 on a lower end JW first for example. Tip of the hat to Mr Stroud. :wink: I really, really dig the old cues...but I am a bargain hunter. No question that if I hit the lottery I will be buying a cue like this and probably more than one.
.
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Oh come on Dean
Dean
What are you doing ? I would never want to borrow this cue it's a collector's cue.
Let's don't waste our money on this with that Bushka tribute still out there.
jack
Dean
What are you doing ? I would never want to borrow this cue it's a collector's cue.
Let's don't waste our money on this with that Bushka tribute still out there.
jack
Slightly off topic, but I'm curious. So it was a Rambow that Paul Newman
used in the Hustler movie?????????
Yes, both Newman and Gleason used Rambows owned by Willie Mosconi for the movie. Combination of Hoppe-style with white ring, and larger buttplate as well.
All the best,
WW
A slight modification...
In an article a few years after the fact Herman tells the story of those two cues. Someone
associated the movie company came to his shop to get the cues made, and of course they
were in a super hurry. So he charged them $275 - he seemed quite pleased, even mentioned
they wanted a piece of ivory in one of the cues.
For comparison - you could get a Rambow shipped to you anywhere in the country
for $54 if you wern't making a movie
.Dale
The whole truth
I am the owner of the Rambow cue that is the subject of this thread. Many thanks to GoldCrown for getting it started. I am finding it both informative (as to the cue's possible value) and entertaining (as to some of the speculation regarding its history). Let me state up front that I have no interest in selling the cue, but would like to clarify its history.
By way of background, I had the cue custom made by Rambow at Keefe & Hamer located in one of those old buildings with rickety elevators on Wabash Ave in Chicago. I am not exactly sure of the year, but likely 1962-63. I paid somewhere between $80-100 for the cue with two shafts and a Brunswick zippered case with a felt interior. The cue is 61 inches long, since I am rather tall. The butt and shafts resided in the case until I purchased a Longoni case a couple of weeks ago.
I used the cue quite a bit for the first five years or so, but then, like so many others do, I got caught up in a business career and only played a couple of times a year until I retired seven years ago. Subsequently, Dennis Searing did a minor tuneup to the cue, but did nothing that he felt could diminish its value.
Although I am half-Italian, the only "killings" the cue witnessed occurred on pool tables! The man referenced in the article that TATE posted was a relative, but had no connection to the cue, nor did any other mob figure (although, at the time, the South Side of Chicago was replete with them).
As with many things in life, the truth is often less dramatic than the imagination...
I am the owner of the Rambow cue that is the subject of this thread. Many thanks to GoldCrown for getting it started. I am finding it both informative (as to the cue's possible value) and entertaining (as to some of the speculation regarding its history). Let me state up front that I have no interest in selling the cue, but would like to clarify its history.
By way of background, I had the cue custom made by Rambow at Keefe & Hamer located in one of those old buildings with rickety elevators on Wabash Ave in Chicago. I am not exactly sure of the year, but likely 1962-63. I paid somewhere between $80-100 for the cue with two shafts and a Brunswick zippered case with a felt interior. The cue is 61 inches long, since I am rather tall. The butt and shafts resided in the case until I purchased a Longoni case a couple of weeks ago.
I used the cue quite a bit for the first five years or so, but then, like so many others do, I got caught up in a business career and only played a couple of times a year until I retired seven years ago. Subsequently, Dennis Searing did a minor tuneup to the cue, but did nothing that he felt could diminish its value.
Although I am half-Italian, the only "killings" the cue witnessed occurred on pool tables! The man referenced in the article that TATE posted was a relative, but had no connection to the cue, nor did any other mob figure (although, at the time, the South Side of Chicago was replete with them).
As with many things in life, the truth is often less dramatic than the imagination...
A slight modification...
In an article a few years after the fact Herman tells the story of those two cues. Someone
associated the movie company came to his shop to get the cues made, and of course they
were in a super hurry. So he charged them $275 - he seemed quite pleased, even mentioned
they wanted a piece of ivory in one of the cues.
For comparison - you could get a Rambow shipped to you anywhere in the country
for $54 if you wern't making a movie
Dale
Any chance of a scan of that article?
.
Thank you for posting!
OK...so the truth isn't as dramatic as we imagined.
But the research did hit on a relative of yours. :thumbup:
And...you are half Italian. :thumbup:
Nice to know Searing serviced the cue. A Rambow deserves the best expert attention. And I am glad you didn't have any excessive work done on it. It can only be original once.
Please forgive one last bit of fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo7zkd0kRS4
:thumbup:.
Almost no chance from me. Only a slight chance I can even remember where I read it.
Sadly.
Dale
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LOL omerta, correct? Well Paisan, as it turns out, I am exactlly half Italian myself. From the waist on down!
Did you know Jesus was Italian too? You know how you can tell Jesus was Italian? Because his mother thought he was a god, and he thought his mother was a virgin!
Seriously, it is wonderful to hear from someone who actually ordered a cue of this history. I am so happy I guessed the date correct. You all heard it here boys, I was right about one thing!
Good story, but I liked my story better. Ciao baby!
Christopher "Urbano" Tate