11 BALABUSHKAS and GUS'S

The Lucite Bushka, is that going for sale?

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tikkler said:
I have one more Bushka to add. its a hoppe style, will post next week

I was wondering what you think about this theory......

30 years ago or so my father inlaw started collectimg and building model A's. If you wanted to buy a fully restored car it was big dollars. Well as these guys got older and older, less and less people were interested in them and the prices of these cars has dropped incredibly.

Now along comes the baby boomers that are into 60-70 muscle cars, and are doing the same thing and asking big money for a lot of these cars. Just the fact that there are so many people in that age group now, it has driven that muscle car price higher and higher. I understand with the economy doing what it has, prices have changed on almost everything.

Do you think that these beautifull classics could end up going the same way as the models A's.........wondering your thoughts
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Steve,
The same thing happened in the baseball card market. Funny, what killed the baseball card market was over saturation and having a multitude of cards and card makers... like cues and cuemakers.. but again, like the baseball card market, the old stuff retains it's value fairly well, the new stuff is usually imploding star-like hit then cools off immensly. Oh WOW.. just like pool cues.. go figure...

JV
 
hey

Joe, But I am saying that for a fully mint model A the prices have steadily dropped.....As the age of the guys that were into these cars moved into there 70s-90s..

Allthough I agree that there are tons more guys making cues now versus back in Gus's day, How many of the old guys did you consider a true cue craftsman, as opposed to todays group of true cue crsftsman

You think this scenario might not be too far off....just asking

60s-80s masters 6-8 30 total cuemakers

90s-to now masters 8-12 250 cuemakers

Am I making sense here?????????????
 
tough topic.

machinery is deff better today. that goes without saying. i love the classics no question. ive seen good gus' and bad gus' (even points good miters ect) im sure u have a few bushkas that are less then perfect. i think overall we have better makers today no question. if you take an average to good maker and translpant him in 1975 i dont know what would happen would they be considered elite or master?

btw who says who is a "master" what is the deffinition/criteria?

lets take jerry rauenzahn for instance. hes been making cues for 30+ years. alot say he is the most under rated maker out there. i happen to agree. is he a master. i can tell you in the 30 some odd cues he made me i cant recall one bad cue. maybe every cue isnt perfect for me spec but all where damn good...

to me jerry is a master
 
tikkler said:
Joe, But I am saying that for a fully mint model A the prices have steadily dropped.....As the age of the guys that were into these cars moved into there 70s-90s..

Allthough I agree that there are tons more guys making cues now versus back in Gus's day, How many of the old guys did you consider a true cue craftsman, as opposed to todays group of true cue crsftsman

You think this scenario might not be too far off....just asking

60s-80s masters 6-8 30 total cuemakers

90s-to now masters 8-12 250 cuemakers

Am I making sense here?????????????
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It could happen. There are people who are enamoured with the new CNC work, and that MIGHT push the older cues back a step or two. But how long does THAT last? That's why people should collect what they like and not worry about it. Like any other collectible if you buy on speculation, you might win short term, but long term is where the gamble is.

In the early 80's you could buy almost any muscle car for under 3500. I remember a lot of 69 Chevelle SS 396's for sale, 70 Cuda's etc.. Now had you been well off then, you could have had a mad cache of these cars, and made a killing now. But you are correct, as the 50's cars were topping off over the muscle cars, now it's not the case. However the MINTiest of MINT cars will still fetch a lot of money. I saw a big finned Chryser go for a bunch recently. But it was perfect. So I am sure that even if Bushka's and Boti's fell off (I don't think they will) the best of the best will still command premium prices.

As far as cues and craftsmen go, I think George and Gus were the primary cuemakers on the east coast and Ernie was on the left coast till his first retirement. There were other guys, but were they masters? You have to consider why the fanciest Burton Spain does NOT get the money the fanciest Szamboti or Bushka gets. Or the fanciest Verl Horn, or the fanciest ..insert name here... Why?

Hopefully without insulting to many people you could not transplant anyone today back to the 60's-70's (that weren't there originally).. those cues were about playability, less glitz.. NO ONE today is going back there to steal any of George or Gus' order list, that I can assure you... You also need to realize that craftmanship today is defined differently than what would have been in 1968 or at least relative to what was being sold.

Could you imagine the whacky sh*T Palmer would have made if they had a CNC, or Frank Paradise? Jeez.. he would have made the first cue that was nothing BUT MOP inlays.. diamonds wrapped entirely around the cue with no dead space.. I'm blinded just thinking about it..

JV (---in 1984 passed on a 71' Cuda 340 triple black for 800.00 black interior, exterior and vinyl top... excellent condition...
 
hey

Joe, I hate to have to tell you this....but....I bought a 1970 Hemi cuda from the original owner in 1971 for $2,900. 4 speed, shaker hood the whole deal

Sold it a year later for $2,800.......brings a tear to my eye
 
my father still has his 73' cuda. 360 6 pack tho. he says hell be burried in that car.lol

in 2000 i traded my 72 396 chevelle for a freakin sportbike. fully resto. numbers matching. :barf::barf:

wtf was i thinking?
 
tikkler said:
Joe, I hate to have to tell you this....but....I bought a 1970 Hemi cuda from the original owner in 1971 for $2,900. 4 speed, shaker hood the whole deal

Sold it a year later for $2,800.......brings a tear to my eye
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Sorry.. in 71 I was just starting kindegarten.. lol

JV
 
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