George Balabushka, any guess?

jayman

jayman

Hi Mom!
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Does anybody have a reasonable guess as to what the average cost of a Balabushka cue cost new? I am wondering, if you take the 1200 cues ever made estimate, and multiply that by the average sale price what his gross sales would look like for16 years before expenses. Then adjust for inflation,see what that looks like in today dollars. Then try to guess materials and equipment and electricity etc... too see if it makes any sense. Essentially, I'm wondering if he could have supported himself back then given the 1200 cues over 16 years figure?
 
jayman said:
Does anybody have a reasonable guess as to what the average cost of a Balabushka cue cost new? I am wondering, if you take the 1200 cues ever made estimate, and multiply that by the average sale price what his gross sales would look like for16 years before expenses. Then adjust for inflation,see what that looks like in today dollars. Then try to guess materials and equipment and electricity etc... too see if it makes any sense. Essentially, I'm wondering if he could have supported himself back then given the 1200 cues over 16 years figure?
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I have a counterman who sold them for $150 in the 1960s, direct from George. He drove down every month or two and picked up the cue(s) that were ordered and brought them up to players.

George would not fulfill an order unless the buyer was a real player, and known
 
ideologist said:
I have a counterman who sold them for $150 in the 1960s, direct from George. He drove down every month or two and picked up the cue(s) that were ordered and brought them up to players.

George would not fulfill an order unless the buyer was a real player, and known
Click to expand...
" Funny ,
Oklahoma cue maker Jim Ingram told me once....
He spoke with George almost every Friday afternoon on the phone,
But George would not build a cue for him"
 
ideologist said:
I have a counterman who sold them for $150 in the 1960s, direct from George. He drove down every month or two and picked up the cue(s) that were ordered and brought them up to players.

George would not fulfill an order unless the buyer was a real player, and known
Click to expand...
My friend ,
lives in Florida now,
originally-Ohio
Rich said The Miz showed up for a big tourney-also in Ohio
Brought 5 brand new Bushka cues in-
$$ 300.00 each
Buddy bought 1-
won the tourney with it too
 
i guess he made $1500 a month. 1200 is an estimate on how many he made. i figure he made 7 a month. i have no idea what materials costs were, so i i have no idea what he cleared each month.
 
ideologist said:
... George would not fulfill an order unless the buyer was a real player, and known
Click to expand...
He must have softened his rules later. I got a cue from him in 1972 and I'm pretty sure he had never heard of me before getting my letter.

My cue was a rosewood butt with a leather wrap and just four MOP diamond inlays at the bottom of the butt. Two shafts with ivory ferrules. $150.
 
Minimum wage in New York state in 1972 was $1.85.
A $150 cue would take 81 hours of working at minimum wage to buy.
NYC wage now is $15 an hour.
81 hours of working now would get you $1216

Going through old posts I found a receipt for a Rambo cue with 2 shafts for $90 in 1967.
Also a Balabushka with 2 shafts from 1969 for $90.
 
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9ball5032 said:
Minimum wage in New York state in 1972 was $1.85.
A $150 cue would take 81 hours of working at minimum wage to buy.
NYC wage now is $15 an hour.
81 hours of working now would get you $1216
Click to expand...
And a plain Bushka only goes for 5x-7x that amount now
 
I ordered one about 1970 it was $120. with two shafts a simple four-point style. I sent him the money in full. I spoke to him on the phone maybe three or four times over a two year period and never got the cue.

At one point I got angry and said just forget about it send me my money back. I got a check in like 3 days. Here's the crazy part he actually added interest for the period he had the money.
 
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jayman said:
Does anybody have a reasonable guess as to what the average cost of a Balabushka cue cost new? I am wondering, if you take the 1200 cues ever made estimate, and multiply that by the average sale price what his gross sales would look like for16 years before expenses. Then adjust for inflation,see what that looks like in today dollars. Then try to guess materials and equipment and electricity etc... too see if it makes any sense. Essentially, I'm wondering if he could have supported himself back then given the 1200 cues over 16 years figure?
Click to expand...
I don't know about that as far as the number of cues. I knew guys from New York who said he would come into the pool room with a cue wrapped up in paper and before he left it would be sold. I think he made a lot more cues than that. Probably no real record of how many cues he actually made and sold of all different styles.
 
In 1977, during graduate school in New York, I met four guys with Balabushka cues. They ranged in price from $110 to $140. Obviously they were made in 1975 or before. These guys were fairly good players, but not what I would call A players. George was efficient, and could make a lot of cues. There are many myths out there.

All the best,
WW
 
WildWing said:
In 1977, during graduate school in New York, I met four guys with Balabushka cues. They ranged in price from $110 to $140. Obviously they were made in 1975 or before. These guys were fairly good players, but not what I would call A players. George was efficient, and could make a lot of cues. There are many myths out there.

All the best,
WW
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Toby told me used to go to his shop and could get a cue in a short time. People in NY could get cues. NY Tony told me Dean Martin who played pool ordered a cue and Balabushka never made him one.

I saw a picture of him playing and he had a Martin cue. I guess California players like Dean Martin used Martin cues. I think that is what he is using in Robin and his seven hoods.
 
Bob Jewett said:
He must have softened his rules later. I got a cue from him in 1972 and I'm pretty sure he had never heard of me before getting my letter.

My cue was a rosewood butt with a leather wrap and just four MOP diamond inlays at the bottom of the butt. Two shafts with ivory ferrules. $150.
Click to expand...
Do you still have the cue Bob?
 
71dewajack said:
Glad to hear you still have it Bob. I was afraid there was going to be a story of regret there. Happy it's not the case.
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I suppose I should correct my story, since I don't have the actual original cue. When I got the cue it was not as heavy as I had asked for, so like the clueless person I was at the time, I sold it to a local NYC transplant and asked George for another, added four more MOP diamonds in the points to the design, and sent him $175. He delivered fairly quickly. The first one actually took a long time but it didn't make any difference to me since I was in Ho Chi Minh City during the wait.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I suppose I should correct my story, since I don't have the actual original cue. When I got the cue it was not as heavy as I had asked for, so like the clueless person I was at the time, I sold it to a local NYC transplant and asked George for another, added four more MOP diamonds in the points to the design, and sent him $175. He delivered fairly quickly. The first one actually took a long time but it didn't make any difference to me since I was in Ho Chi Minh City during the wait.
Click to expand...

Is it still your daily playing cue?
 
i knew george and played with him frequently. i still have the cue he made for me. ebony with a leather wrap. no inlays.
he idolized all the hundred ball runners and played with them but didnt like sitting down the whole time, so he played me.
i beat some guy out of a hundred and small change in one pocket and handed it to george and said make me something. and i got it very soon after. maybe it was one he already had made.

most cues were in the hundred or so range in the late 60's after then i dont know.
most times then he made them for who asked and was easy to get it to. as he only made what he wanted to make and couldnt be pressured.
yes sometimes he came in the pool room with a cue and sold it. most of those times it was for someone there who ordered it..

during those times frank paradice cues were 25 to 30 dollars for a plain one wrapped and 60 for those with the name inside the buttcap and titlest points.
same price for palmer cues made by gene balner after he left franks employment. gene told me he liked arnold palmer and thought calling his cues palmer cues would sell more.
 
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