Hello All;
I am pleased to offer the opportunity to own this extremely rare and fancy Gus Szamboti cue. This may well be the biggest ebony front, ivory joint cue Gus ever made. Barry's estimate has this one dating back to the late 1970's - early 1980's and it is a stunner, to say the least.
Cue features jet-black ebony butt sleeve, forearm, and points with three veneers from outside in of red / green / natural. Could these 3 veneer colors have been a tribute to "il Tricolore" (the Italian Flag)? Fun to consider such a possibility. A series of notched MOP diamonds and barbells with MOP dots adorn the entire forearm, both within and outside of the points. There are maple stitch rings with red accents just above the delrin butt cap, just below the leather wrap, and in between these are more barbells and double veneered linear designs all of which feature MOP dots. There are wider maple rectangle block rings also with red accents above the wrap and at the joint with ivory disks surrounding this forward one. There are matching rings on all of the shaft collars. The joint is flat faced solid ivory with a 3/8 10 pin. The wrap is a very nice textured black leather installed by Barry in 2016 (receipt for this will accompany the sale).
There are six shafts that come with this cue. In the pictures that show all six shafts, the two that are closest to the butt are the Gus originals and they are skinny and straight, measuring in the mid 11's (see below for exact specs on all). The shaft next to the originals is thought to be a later made Gus (no documentation so treat accordingly) and is 12.55mm and straight, as well. The next two shafts pictured appear to be much more recent, both about 13mm and straight and the maker is unknown. The 6th shaft is slightly under 12mm has a lot of patina and is straight with a collar that has more square shaped maple blocks than the rectangles found on the originals. This shaft's collar is slightly smaller diameter (can feel a minor lip - zero affect on play), the wood is high quality and does appear old so my guess would be someone made this collar to generally match and swapped it onto this shaft in order to be used with this cue.
I have done my best to gain whatever knowledge I could about this monumental cue. In doing so I have spoken with Barry, my friend (the current owner of approx 20 yrs), the previous owner (a major collector) who sold it to my friend, and a couple other knowledgeable guys who are familiar with this cue. Barry said he recalls seeing this cue when the major collector owned it ~20 years ago and determined the handle had been replaced. The collector reported that he acquired the cue from a gentleman in Maryland who indicated that he had work done on the cue by Tim Scruggs which, if accurate, would make sense being a fellow Marylander. However, there is no supporting documentation from Tim for this work so it then just becomes part of the spoken story. I would strongly suggest that any potential buyer assume the handle change was done by an unknown maker. Further, it was suggested that the joint also may have been changed at some point, though not certain and so, again, I would urge anyone considering this cue that they assume it was changed and the maker who did it is unknown. Barry told me that even if he wanted to, the fact that he is trying to wind things down at his shop would leave no time for taking on any new work - and again, that's even if he were so inclined.
If a next owner of this cue would like certainty about who did the handle repair beyond what is reported here, an easy solution would be for them to pick a cuemaker of their liking and have the work done. I can attest to how the cue hits currently and that would be incredibly well. Any serious potential buyers who care to would be most welcome to come by The Chicken Coop and hit a few balls with it prior to a sale.
Specs:
Butt............ 29”, 15.75 oz, straight
Shaft 1....... 29”, 3.35 oz, 11.35 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 2 .......29”, 3.31 oz, 11.37 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 3 .......29", 3.55 oz, 12.55 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 4 .......29", 3.65 oz, 13.01 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 5 .......29", 3.75 oz, 12.95 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 6 .......29", 3.31 oz, 11.90 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Joint........... Flat faced ivory with 3/8 10 pin
Wrap......... Textured black leather by Barry (receipt will be included)
There has been no refinish reported in the last approx 20 years. The finish is smooth and shiny with no scratches, dings, dents or other blemishes noted.
This Gus could easily be the centerpiece for most any collection. Alternate possibility; it could become your new daily player.
Price is $SOLD & Includes insured express shipping anywhere in CONUS
Trades plus cash considered only for SW, TS, Gina, Tasc, Bushka, Barry, or other Gus cues.
Wire Transfer, ACH, USPS money orders or Cash are preferred forms of payment.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you would like to make purchase arrangements.
Thanks for having a look!
best,
brian kc
I am pleased to offer the opportunity to own this extremely rare and fancy Gus Szamboti cue. This may well be the biggest ebony front, ivory joint cue Gus ever made. Barry's estimate has this one dating back to the late 1970's - early 1980's and it is a stunner, to say the least.
Cue features jet-black ebony butt sleeve, forearm, and points with three veneers from outside in of red / green / natural. Could these 3 veneer colors have been a tribute to "il Tricolore" (the Italian Flag)? Fun to consider such a possibility. A series of notched MOP diamonds and barbells with MOP dots adorn the entire forearm, both within and outside of the points. There are maple stitch rings with red accents just above the delrin butt cap, just below the leather wrap, and in between these are more barbells and double veneered linear designs all of which feature MOP dots. There are wider maple rectangle block rings also with red accents above the wrap and at the joint with ivory disks surrounding this forward one. There are matching rings on all of the shaft collars. The joint is flat faced solid ivory with a 3/8 10 pin. The wrap is a very nice textured black leather installed by Barry in 2016 (receipt for this will accompany the sale).
There are six shafts that come with this cue. In the pictures that show all six shafts, the two that are closest to the butt are the Gus originals and they are skinny and straight, measuring in the mid 11's (see below for exact specs on all). The shaft next to the originals is thought to be a later made Gus (no documentation so treat accordingly) and is 12.55mm and straight, as well. The next two shafts pictured appear to be much more recent, both about 13mm and straight and the maker is unknown. The 6th shaft is slightly under 12mm has a lot of patina and is straight with a collar that has more square shaped maple blocks than the rectangles found on the originals. This shaft's collar is slightly smaller diameter (can feel a minor lip - zero affect on play), the wood is high quality and does appear old so my guess would be someone made this collar to generally match and swapped it onto this shaft in order to be used with this cue.
I have done my best to gain whatever knowledge I could about this monumental cue. In doing so I have spoken with Barry, my friend (the current owner of approx 20 yrs), the previous owner (a major collector) who sold it to my friend, and a couple other knowledgeable guys who are familiar with this cue. Barry said he recalls seeing this cue when the major collector owned it ~20 years ago and determined the handle had been replaced. The collector reported that he acquired the cue from a gentleman in Maryland who indicated that he had work done on the cue by Tim Scruggs which, if accurate, would make sense being a fellow Marylander. However, there is no supporting documentation from Tim for this work so it then just becomes part of the spoken story. I would strongly suggest that any potential buyer assume the handle change was done by an unknown maker. Further, it was suggested that the joint also may have been changed at some point, though not certain and so, again, I would urge anyone considering this cue that they assume it was changed and the maker who did it is unknown. Barry told me that even if he wanted to, the fact that he is trying to wind things down at his shop would leave no time for taking on any new work - and again, that's even if he were so inclined.
If a next owner of this cue would like certainty about who did the handle repair beyond what is reported here, an easy solution would be for them to pick a cuemaker of their liking and have the work done. I can attest to how the cue hits currently and that would be incredibly well. Any serious potential buyers who care to would be most welcome to come by The Chicken Coop and hit a few balls with it prior to a sale.
Specs:
Butt............ 29”, 15.75 oz, straight
Shaft 1....... 29”, 3.35 oz, 11.35 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 2 .......29”, 3.31 oz, 11.37 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 3 .......29", 3.55 oz, 12.55 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 4 .......29", 3.65 oz, 13.01 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 5 .......29", 3.75 oz, 12.95 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Shaft 6 .......29", 3.31 oz, 11.90 mm, ivory ferrule, straight
Joint........... Flat faced ivory with 3/8 10 pin
Wrap......... Textured black leather by Barry (receipt will be included)
There has been no refinish reported in the last approx 20 years. The finish is smooth and shiny with no scratches, dings, dents or other blemishes noted.
This Gus could easily be the centerpiece for most any collection. Alternate possibility; it could become your new daily player.
Price is $SOLD & Includes insured express shipping anywhere in CONUS
Trades plus cash considered only for SW, TS, Gina, Tasc, Bushka, Barry, or other Gus cues.
Wire Transfer, ACH, USPS money orders or Cash are preferred forms of payment.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you would like to make purchase arrangements.
Thanks for having a look!
best,
brian kc
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