High Dollar (Euros, Pounds, Yen...) cues

i love the table in your avatar
i need that

deanoc said:

i love the table in your avatar
i need that

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Yeah, I hear you. I could run the crap out of that. Those pockets look like 5 gallon buckets.

Back when I went dives and played I generally carried a nice sneaky pete but now I just play in decent rooms I play with some really nice cues. That's what a cue is meant for.

My playing cue for about 15 years was a $4,500 Mottey.

I think this boils down to a personality test, some people like to store and admire their prized possessions, and others like to use them like they stole them.

My wife likes to use (abuse?) her nicest stuff as if she knows she will die the next day...…
I am just the opposite.....

logical said:

....

Purely out of curiosity, do those who buy/collect/own cues in the $2-3-5,000 range play with them everywhere they go, display them, squirrel them away in a safe, bring them out only at home, or something else?

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All of the above....

I have played with every custom cue I ever owned, but I have one for the past 18 years that I will use for any game of consequence when it really matters for me because it just feels right in my hands- more than any other. As for all the other customs i have owned, they have been played with, simply admired for their workmanship and/or appearance, stored in a safe environment, played at my home table when I owned one; and taken to an outside billiard environment if I felt it was reasonably safe, and definitely smoke free. I do own a few quality production cues/sneaky pete for bar type pool activity with a dedicated case for the same. and yes, like you, I have also collected watches at one point and I wore every one of them too - seldom though when playing pool - to keep them from getting chipped on a table. And time is of no consequence to me when I am playing pool with a great cue in my hands!

I have some expensive cues that cannot be made again, like my TS cue or EP cue.
My BO cues use ivory and he’s stopped making cues with ivory. My Jerry R. cues
are the same since Jerry isn’t making many cues any longer. I transport 6 ivory joint
cues in my cue case and every one gets played. My friends can use any cue I own.
Pool cues are functional and despite being viewed as artistic by many, they are tools.
A hammer is meant to be whacked, an axe meant to be chopped & a cue meant to hit balls.
Nuf Ced!

I’ll echo what’s been said so far, and then add a new aspect. Tim Scruggs got me started on this journey in 1991. I walked into his shop as a kid, purchased a cue straight out of his catalog (the avatar photo), and knew nothing about cue design. He picked the veneers - Black / natural / red / natural, and I loved it as soon as I saw it. Played with that cue for the next 14 years, took it to him for a refinish, and asked him to darken the forearm stain a bit. He took it a bit red, and the cue looked even more impressive in my eye. Haven’t played nearly as much since then, but the TS is still my main go to playing cue.

I now realize what Tim did was give the cue a look of an amboyna forearm. And since that moment, have been collecting some really nice forearm wood cues.

I play with most of the cues I have in my collection (TAD, Schick, Gina, Scruggs, Tascarella, Southwest, etc). I have a table at home, but also get them out a couple at a time to a pool hall near me. I’ve realized that many are just great playing cues, and I love them all in different ways. Some for the design, others for the simplicity and beauty of the woods used. Some for the type of wrap, others because of the wrapless handle. Etc, etc, etc. The only one that doesn’t get played is a Gina 50th - I don’t have the heart to play that one. I really bought it just to try out an ivory piloted joint from Ernie, but the cue is just too nice to hit. One day, I’ll sell it. I don’t like holding onto cues I won’t play.

Now, the fun for me is working directly with cuemakers to highlight the blend between my ideas and their craftsmanship. I typically have about 2-3 projects in the works at a time. Right now, that consists of a Tascarella, a Bob Owen, and a Treadway. Behind that, there’s several Jerry -R- and Rounceville blanks to be converted.

It’s just fun to me to learn who can do what techniques, and what they can’t do, then find the right project in that space. Some won’t core woods, others don’t use CNC. For me, it’s fun to steer around those limitations and find how to make really beautiful sticks within those constraints.

A bit rambling, but I hope that makes sense and helps shed light onto your question.

My customers play with their cues.

The top end cues for me-$3-4000 are still used by their owners.

Currently, I have a very nice cue about ready for finish, 3 types of burls including HRB and 76 ivory inlays including the joint protectors. The customer can't wait to play with it. He was one of my customers for a plain jane cue in the 90's.

I hope to post some photos when the cue is finished

I can’t imagine not playing with my Mobley. Why would I have it just to leave it in a vault? Seems foolish.