Old Viking question...

yahosh said:

So I was playing league last night, and I noticed a cue that one of our opponents was using. It looked like a titlist conversion with a steel joint and black rings with thick washers like an old bushka. The butt had a clear window with the viking logo in foil. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera, and the gentleman who owned it really did not know much about cues. Did viking ever do any titlist cues? It really looked like a titlist, maybe with very dark rosewood.
Just curious,
Josh

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yahosh said:

So I was playing league last night, and I noticed a cue that one of our opponents was using. It looked like a titlist conversion with a steel joint and black rings with thick washers like an old bushka. The butt had a clear window with the viking logo in foil. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera, and the gentleman who owned it really did not know much about cues. Did viking ever do any titlist cues? It really looked like a titlist, maybe with very dark rosewood.
Just curious,
Josh

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yahosh said:

Thank you for the informative responses. What do you guys think a cue like that might be worth (ball park)?

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TATE said:

In the 1960's and early 1970's, Viking used whatever they could get their hands on, then they started building their own. I even have a Viking from the late 1960's, and guess what, it has a Palmer blank! An unmistakable, undeniable Palmer blank - and Palmer didn't sell blanks to other cue makers. To this day it remains a mystery, but Viking will not give me a straight answer on it. It even has writing under the wrap I sent to them that I'm pretty sure is Gordon's - they totally avoided the questions.

He also used Spain blanks. I bought the Viking thinking it was a Spain blank, but once I took the wrap off, it revealed a Palmer shop blank. (The early Spain blanks and the Palmer blanks look pretty much alike except under the wrap where the veneers end and sometimes the way the handle is connected).

Chris

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TATE said:

In the 1960's and early 1970's, Viking used whatever they could get their hands on, then they started building their own. I even have a Viking from the late 1960's, and guess what, it has a Palmer blank! An unmistakable, undeniable Palmer blank - and Palmer didn't sell blanks to other cue makers. To this day it remains a mystery, but Viking will not give me a straight answer on it. It even has writing under the wrap I sent to them that I'm pretty sure is Gordon's - they totally avoided the questions.

He also used Spain blanks. I bought the Viking thinking it was a Spain blank, but once I took the wrap off, it revealed a Palmer shop blank. (The early Spain blanks and the Palmer blanks look pretty much alike except under the wrap where the veneers end and sometimes the way the handle is connected).

Chris

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jayman said:

Chris,
I would love to see that cue.

Jayman.

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TATE said:

Here you go:

I bought one of their old VIP cues from about 1966, hoping it had a Spain forearm:

Check out the ancient writing on the label:

I cut off the wrap, and reveal:

An early palmer forearm and their "V" splice handle connection! Notice how the stack of veneers is not beveled - classic Palmer:

Helpful to date the cue, a complimentary re-wrap in 1968 by Viking (N/C = no charge):

I sent Viking all of this and get a totally non-sensical answer. I ask them to show the pics to Gordon personally and again get gibberish.

I figure they used whatever they could get, especially on ebony pointed cues. Cues with ebony points and veneers were hard to come by because Brunswick would not sell ebony pointed blanks.

Chris

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jayman said:

Chris,
Thanks for posting the pics.I love it.and if its ever for sale or trade, i would like a chance to talk about it!

I wonder what I would have found under this wrap?

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