I like your vote! Thank you for your reply.Both white balls appear to have faint Schreger lines. The left one also seems to have the nerve hole visible.
My vote is authentic.
I like your vote! Thank you for your reply.Both white balls appear to have faint Schreger lines. The left one also seems to have the nerve hole visible.
My vote is authentic.
Actually it states right on the label NOT to use sweet oil on these balls (See the label on the inside cover).
That's a problem in California, too. I have a set I was considering donating to a museum for a possible tax write off but I haven't pursued it. My set is not 100 years old.... Not sure if I am going to be able to sell them though. The laws in my state seem to totally prohibit it.
This is a nice boxed set with a great clean label.
These other two sets appear to be old plastic balls. The set with two spotted cue balls is particularly mismatched. The curly-cracked cue ball might be interesting to a collector as a demonstration of that particular problem with the plastic. If you want to sell them, you should measure the diameters accurately in mm. I doubt you can get more than $10/ball.Here are two other boxed sets. The ones on the left have curly cracking like other balls shown here but I do not se the Schreger lines in them.. Does that mean they are plastic?
The set on the right appears to be plastic with one white ball having small black dots and the other white balls which is a bit smaller having red dots. The red ball is the same size as the larger ball.
Bob is a very reliable source…….Ideologist is also another knowledgeable Azer.Thank you. I sent close up pictures to Bob Jewett and he confirmed they are ivory.
This much ivory in a single sale is a otherwise pretty substantial amount of elephant ivory versus a pool cueThank you for your enthusiastic response, valuation and tips for selling. Not sure if I am going to be able to sell them though. The laws in my state seem to totally prohibit it.
Yes. I bought a set of brand new ivory balls in 1980 from A.E. Schmidt which may have been the last company selling newly turned balls. They explained that would probably need to be trued after a few years. I did in fact have them done a few years later. By that time the ball-turning guy was mostly retired and came back in to turn them.As a side note. Sets of new ivories came oversized at 2 1/2" and it was common practice to turn them down to their playing size of 2 3/8" after some use. Then of course down to the smaller sizes for pool and snooker. If those ivories are original at 2 1/2", you have something special.
Years ago I purchased a ball off eBay, other than a chip on it it looked new.Yes. I bought a set of brand new ivory balls in 1980 from A.E. Schmidt which may have been the last company selling newly turned balls. They explained that would probably need to be trued after a few years. I did in fact have them done a few years later. By that time the ball-turning guy was mostly retired and came back in to turn them.
Schmidt also apologized for the purplish red of the red ball. They explained that the traditional red color had been banned.
As I recall, in 1980 the balls were $80 each. By the time I had them trued, it was $80 to turn each ball.
After seeing the additional pictures, the balls are clearly ivory.I own about 20+ ivory sets.
To be perfectly honest, your set does NOT look ivory to me.
I would have to see closer, better pictures and identifying lines before I would say different.
A couple of my sets have almost zero use but the Schreger lines are very clearly visible.
Will Prout
Hi All, I am new to the forum, so please be gentle. I am a picker from Long Island, NY. I recently purchased these along with two other boxed sets of three balls. I don't think the others are ivory though. The set pictured has the three balls with original oak box with advertising on the cover and a label on the inside of the cover. All balls look to be in very good condition. Looking to determine approximate value and may then be listing for sale here on the appropriate forum. Any help appreciated. Thank you