Was thinking about buying a cue or 2 solely as an investment, not to be used. Hold onto it for a few years and hopefully sell for a profit. Any thoughts on this ? Who are some cue makers I should look into ?
Cue as investment
- Thread starter seanandnik
- Start date
Pool cues seem to be VERY risky!
An IRA account sounds safe to me
Trent from Toledo
Hmn....tie up thousands of dollars buying a couple or a few custom cues is a zany notion if one wants an appreciable return on what they spent.. Any return requires the cues remain new and unplayed or else super pristine, and the cue-maker was also a reknown name, maybe a nominal profit can be realized. .
Look at the cue market in general the last few years and the restrictions on materials used from types of wood and leather right down to ivory as well. Cues produced 10 years can no longer be made the same way and in the secondary resale market, cue values have been on a downtrend the last 5-6 years for high priced cues that likely do not play better than any other cue to justify its high price.
My small collection used to be worth a lot more and there's probably only one or two cues that I can confidently sell and make a profit, One for sure is my Scruggs custom and it's because Tim was a reknown name in cue-making and has passed on. I got the cue at what is in hindsight a bargain since it was brand new. Another cue "might" be my EP cue since it's filled with ivory but that ended in the summer of 2016 and no more ivory cues are made by Ed to to CA restrictions.
There might be one more....my '85 Runde,,,,cost $800 back in 1985 and I know it's worth a lot more than I paid for it but the investment yield extends over a 33 year span......even T-Bills involve a shorter time span. So no, cues are not a wise investment and if I had it to do over, I'd get a Barry Szamboti cue and a Joel Hercek cue and be done and also have spent a lot less than what I have.I never intended to spend what I did but once you start buying custom cues and love each and everycue that gets made, it just becomes sorta like a habit which gets costly based upon my experience.
I buy my pool cues to play with, not as an a alternative investment vehicle. And know what? You do not become disappointed wondering about why you didn't get what you expected when you sold the cue.
Matt B.
Look at the cue market in general the last few years and the restrictions on materials used from types of wood and leather right down to ivory as well. Cues produced 10 years can no longer be made the same way and in the secondary resale market, cue values have been on a downtrend the last 5-6 years for high priced cues that likely do not play better than any other cue to justify its high price.
My small collection used to be worth a lot more and there's probably only one or two cues that I can confidently sell and make a profit, One for sure is my Scruggs custom and it's because Tim was a reknown name in cue-making and has passed on. I got the cue at what is in hindsight a bargain since it was brand new. Another cue "might" be my EP cue since it's filled with ivory but that ended in the summer of 2016 and no more ivory cues are made by Ed to to CA restrictions.
There might be one more....my '85 Runde,,,,cost $800 back in 1985 and I know it's worth a lot more than I paid for it but the investment yield extends over a 33 year span......even T-Bills involve a shorter time span. So no, cues are not a wise investment and if I had it to do over, I'd get a Barry Szamboti cue and a Joel Hercek cue and be done and also have spent a lot less than what I have.I never intended to spend what I did but once you start buying custom cues and love each and everycue that gets made, it just becomes sorta like a habit which gets costly based upon my experience.
I buy my pool cues to play with, not as an a alternative investment vehicle. And know what? You do not become disappointed wondering about why you didn't get what you expected when you sold the cue.
Matt B.
Buy something you really really like from a blue chip/hall of fame maker and buy it for really really cheap. It's the only way as an investment. It can be done.
maybe a zen or some other chinese or taiwanese maker.
Oh yeah...great investments...like buying new "special model" cars, storing them for a decade or so, while waiting for them to be highly sought after collector cars.
After 10 years or so, the ads for them begin appearing on car guy sites of the internet...very low miles, showroom perfect, blah-blah woof-woof. Asking price? Thousand$ less than they paid.
Now, if you love cues, and enjoy collecting them, great! But don't consider them investments.
Very few cars become collectables. It's a fool's gamble to try to predict which ones will be sought after in future years. I'm sure with cues, it's much the same.
After 10 years or so, the ads for them begin appearing on car guy sites of the internet...very low miles, showroom perfect, blah-blah woof-woof. Asking price? Thousand$ less than they paid.
Now, if you love cues, and enjoy collecting them, great! But don't consider them investments.
Very few cars become collectables. It's a fool's gamble to try to predict which ones will be sought after in future years. I'm sure with cues, it's much the same.
This is my take on making money:
1. Safest way to make money = go to work, get paid and SAVE ALL YOU CAN.
2. make money with money already earned = find a financial adviser, VET the hell out of the adviser, once you find a good one............do as they say and be patient.
IMO, anything else is just not smart.
Rake
The only thing I can add to your advise is to make sure that the financial advisor you fully vet is YOU and make sure you know what you're doing. My wife and I looked out for ourselves and we are breaking ground on our dream home in one month from now. Looking forward to sharing the progress of my new pool room as the project progresses.
Cheers,
JL
Bogleheads unite!
Nobody cares about your money more than you. Educating yourself is the key.
Much like buying any ‘art’ as an investment, it’s all about what you personally like (and can live with). Maybe if there should ever be another resurgence in billiard popularity (?). Regardless, much like any great work of art, if you buy a collectible cue that you end up falling in love with, you will likely never sell it, so where is the profit then? I once owned several very beautiful Gus Zamboti’s. BUT, when I bought one of the very first plain-Jane Predators, and realized how much better it played, those custom-inlaid ‘works of art’ soon lost their appeal.
I once bought a very expensive oil painting, anticipating that it would appreciate. I realize now, I will likely die with it still on my wall, since I would never trust anyone else to properly care for such a great masterpiece.
I once bought a very expensive oil painting, anticipating that it would appreciate. I realize now, I will likely die with it still on my wall, since I would never trust anyone else to properly care for such a great masterpiece.
I would strongly advise against purchasing cues as an investment to hold for a period you are talking about. Under the best conditions you'd be hard pressed to get a decent return on your money. The best cue investment you can make today involves no upfront costs. Call South West Cues in Las Vegas and get your name on the list for 2 cues. In about 13 years, give or take, your order will be ready to go in production. At that point 50% is required. Unless the market for South West cues totally collapses, you're a cinch make a few thousand dollars profit. I could kick myself in the ass for not ordering year after year. I ordered in 2005 and my cues are now being built. South West cues has been quietly subsidizing pool players for a few decades! For the vast majority it will be their biggest pool related score ever.
Well, I could have told you that oil paintings don't appreciate being put on walls. It's too boring for them.
I would strongly advise against purchasing cues as an investment to hold for a period you are talking about. Under the best conditions you'd be hard pressed to get a decent return on your money. The best cue investment you can make today involves no upfront costs. Call South West Cues in Las Vegas and get your name on the list for 2 cues. In about 13 years, give or take, your order will be ready to go in production. At that point 50% is required. Unless the market for South West cues totally collapses, you're a cinch make a few thousand dollars profit. I could kick myself in the ass for not ordering year after year. I ordered in 2005 and my cues are now being built. South West cues has been quietly subsidizing pool players for a few decades! For the vast majority it will be their biggest pool related score ever.
Southwest Cues: A ‘blast-from-the-past’ (been out of the loop for 25 yrs). I seem to remember the cue I bought gained significant weight on the journey east, so if you live in a humid climate (assuming you plan to be still alive in 13 yrs), I would order 1 oz. light.
