*OLD* Joss cue identification request

jeremy8000

jeremy8000

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi everyone,

New to the forums, hoping someone might be able to help provide some assistance in identifying / getting more information about this cue.

I haven't seen this type of Joss logo in the past, in very small simple blockish text. The cue belongs to a friend who purchased it second-hand about 30 years ago, but doesn't know its history beyond that point. It's not in the best of condition (my guess is that the buttcap was damaged at some point, and then shaped down to its current state).

Despite long-term storage (he's had it and a couple of other cues in their cases for the past 20 years or so), it still assembles and disassembles very smoothly, and rolls straight as an arrow. In the few shots I took with it (a bit cautiously, given the age of the tip) it has a very sweet hit, quite similar to my Schon SL5.

Buttcap.jpg

Joint.jpg

Butt.jpg


Any input as to age/year of manufacture, model, other details, rough value (if any given wear and damage to butt) would be greatly appreciated!
 
pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
I have a 68 Joss.....and I've had a 71.
They had 18 threads to the inch on the pin....
...at some point in the early 70s, Joss went to 14 threads.

The pin looks like 18 threads
 
jeremy8000

jeremy8000

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
bstroud said:
This cue was made before Danny and I split up.

Bill Stroud
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bill - great to get some confirmation from the source! So that would put this cue's origin to somewhere between '68 and '71? It definitely still hits like a champ, which speaks to the quality of workmanship y'all put into it those 40+ years ago.
 
tduncan

tduncan

Bet something...
Silver Member
That is a shame. The one thing that identifies & dates the cue is damaged. I could tell it was Stroud's engraving as soon as I seen it. Replace the butt plate & it loses what dates it. It is pretty amazing that it didn't get replaced. Then we would have never known when/where the cue is from.
 
Sealegs50

Sealegs50

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
tduncan said:
That is a shame. The one thing that identifies & dates the cue is damaged. I could tell it was Stroud's engraving as soon as I seen it. Replace the butt plate & it loses what dates it. It is pretty amazing that it didn't get replaced. Then we would have never known when/where the cue is from.
Click to expand...

The cue could be refinished as a bumperless Hoppe. The logo could remain part of the cue and it would look great.
 
jeremy8000

jeremy8000

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So I finally caught up with my friend to whom this cue belongs, and told him of its origin. I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised by his total lack of interest, given he was never more than a casually interested player, that interest having waned away decades ago.

Where I was surprised was when he then mentioned that since I'd taken some shots with it, he felt I was obliged to pay him his asking price for it. I figured any reasonable price would be fine by me, though I thought something was a bit off in the way he was pitching it.

He named his price, and frankly I was quite thrown. He absolutely refused to negotiate and knew full well the terrible deal he was offering, but also knew how much I admired the cue. I tried to haggle with him for quite a while to try to get at least a somewhat better value proposition, but he made it clear he wouldn't budge

In the end I succumbed, but rest assured I will be working on finding an appropriate way to settle the score with him... No way he's getting away with selling that to me for a buck.
 
DAVE_M

DAVE_M

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
jeremy8000 said:
So I finally caught up with my friend to whom this cue belongs, and told him of its origin. I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised by his total lack of interest, given he was never more than a casually interested player, that interest having waned away decades ago.

Where I was surprised was when he then mentioned that since I'd taken some shots with it, he felt I was obliged to pay him his asking price for it. I figured any reasonable price would be fine by me, though I thought something was a bit off in the way he was pitching it.

He named his price, and frankly I was quite thrown. He absolutely refused to negotiate and knew full well the terrible deal he was offering, but also knew how much I admired the cue. I tried to haggle with him for quite a while to try to get at least a somewhat better value proposition, but he made it clear he wouldn't budge

In the end I succumbed, but rest assured I will be working on finding an appropriate way to settle the score with him... No way he's getting away with selling that to me for a buck.
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound like a friend to me. He found out it was of value to you, so he tried to get more money out of you... That's pretty low for a "friend" to do.
 
pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
jeremy8000 said:
So I finally caught up with my friend to whom this cue belongs, and told him of its origin. I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised by his total lack of interest, given he was never more than a casually interested player, that interest having waned away decades ago.

Where I was surprised was when he then mentioned that since I'd taken some shots with it, he felt I was obliged to pay him his asking price for it. I figured any reasonable price would be fine by me, though I thought something was a bit off in the way he was pitching it.

He named his price, and frankly I was quite thrown. He absolutely refused to negotiate and knew full well the terrible deal he was offering, but also knew how much I admired the cue. I tried to haggle with him for quite a while to try to get at least a somewhat better value proposition, but he made it clear he wouldn't budge

In the end I succumbed, but rest assured I will be working on finding an appropriate way to settle the score with him... No way he's getting away with selling that to me for a buck.
Click to expand...
What a great story.
...although I don't want to make you feel bad, I got my '68 Joss even cheaper....
....it had a cracked ivory ferrule and my friend had lost interest in it...
...I knew his cost and I offered that amount...he wouldn't take anything.
I'm the third owner....I've had it for 37 years.


Get a half bumper grafted on so you retain the original JOSS.....
...and get it refinished by a good cue maker....or send it to Danny Janes at Joss.
 
jeremy8000

jeremy8000

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
DAVE_M said:
Doesn't sound like a friend to me. He found out it was of value to you, so he tried to get more money out of you... That's pretty low for a "friend" to do.
Click to expand...

Reread the last line. At $1... Perhaps I should have put in a smilie :wink:.
 
Island Drive

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
jeremy8000 said:
So I finally caught up with my friend to whom this cue belongs, and told him of its origin. I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised by his total lack of interest, given he was never more than a casually interested player, that interest having waned away decades ago.

Where I was surprised was when he then mentioned that since I'd taken some shots with it, he felt I was obliged to pay him his asking price for it. I figured any reasonable price would be fine by me, though I thought something was a bit off in the way he was pitching it.

He named his price, and frankly I was quite thrown. He absolutely refused to negotiate and knew full well the terrible deal he was offering, but also knew how much I admired the cue. I tried to haggle with him for quite a while to try to get at least a somewhat better value proposition, but he made it clear he wouldn't budge

In the end I succumbed, but rest assured I will be working on finding an appropriate way to settle the score with him... No way he's getting away with selling that to me for a buck.
Click to expand...
Is that ivory in the butt plate?
 
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jayman

jayman

Hi Mom!
Gold Member
Silver Member
I think if that cue was mine, I would machine the butt-cap down to a cylinder just below the engraved area then sleeve a new but-cap piece over it. that way you can have the original length and engraving without it looking weird.
If you do it with the engraving centered in the part that's left, it would look like a separate ring. Bye the way, Did someone do that on purpose? it looks like a uniform taper.
 
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jeremy8000

jeremy8000

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Island Drive said:
Is that ivory in the butt plate?
Click to expand...

I'm not well enough educated to know with certainty. The undamaged portion has certainly yellowed with time. Here's a couple of pictures showing that, and a portion of the damaged section in close-up - perhaps someone who knows how ivory fractures vs. other materials might be able to provide some insight.

M8M5VRs.jpg

x1sErEv.jpg
 
Sunchaser

Sunchaser

Belgian Malinois
Silver Member
nice old cue you have there. Great that Mr. Stroud chimed in to verify the build time frame and authenticity too. The suggestion above to turn it into a bumper less style and retain the original logo seems logical. I think its great that someone retained the Joss script and kept the ivory or delrin from cracking further or completely come apart all together...
 
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tduncan

tduncan

Bet something...
Silver Member
The butt plate is a material called implex. They used it a lot when they starting building cues together.
 
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