Abe Rich Titilst Conversion

[Homesplice]

I believe this is likely an Abe Rich conversion. It appears to be in good shape. Not a fan of the red plastic. Any idea what this cues value is? I imagine its worth more to a collector than a player. Then again most collectors play. Last pic is Jaymans 1967 Viking.

 

[mikemosconi]

Abe’s cues don’t sell for big bucks ; but they do sell. If this is a Titilist forearm I think you could get in the $200 / $350 range.

His little cue shop that was located just south of Miami Beach south beach area was just an icon of old school cue building history. As was the man himself if you had the opportunity to visit him there - never forget my visits with him!

 

[Biloxi Boy]

I do not think it is a Titlist. Veneer colors are wrong. Better pics might . . .

 

[bbb]

Abe’s cues don’t sell for big bucks ; but they do sell. If this is a Titilist forearm I think you could get in the $200 / $350 range.

His little cue shop that was located just south of Miami Beach south beach area was just an icon of old school cue building history. As was the man himself if you had the opportunity to visit him there - never forget my visits with him!

me too

 

[mikemosconi]

me too
View attachment 757574

HA HA - great cue making history photo! My sneaky Pete cue order is still sitting on that desk somewhere—- I remember him writing down my specs on a notepad and when I returned to Miami six months later he had no recollection - by the mid 90s he was not so sharp anymore - just a real nice old guy by then - he was selling production cues at that time - Stratford cues and Kotlin cue cases - which were the best soft cue cases available.
I bought one of each from him - just because how could you not help the guy out!

 

[maha]

looks like one of the new york made cues. and wood from a brunswick house cue

 

[Homesplice]

Thanks for the input. I've read some of Abes history and he didn't have an easy life. We should all collectively double the value of his cues starting with this one. I'm betting on it being a titlist forearm. A local cue maker(Greg Sowder)checked out the pics and is the one who told me it was an Abe Rich titilist conversion. I think a nicer looking cue could be made with the forearm.
Just won the auction so probably won't possess the cue for a week or two and will try to post better pics, however iphone pics from my library seem unpostable.

 

[mikemosconi]

Yours is a nice collection cue from a past cue making era and quite possibly a notable maker from that era - Abe - Positively confirmed as a Titilist conversion ( possibly Ebony points?) would put collection value on the higher end of an Abe Rich cue - I would say $350 or so - if not a Titilist - $200 or so.
Limited market , but a nice treasure for someone if the Abe Rich and Titilist speculations are confirmed.

 

[maha]

if it hits well. many didnt, put on a new tip and play with it.

 

[mikemosconi]

When I first encountered Abe's shop in Miami on a business trip it was 1995. I inquired around the area concerning the playability of Abe's cues. The consensus was that in his later years ( mid 80s to mid 90s- tops); he was still making a decent playing sneaky Pete. This cue here seems like a cue that Abe would have made mid 60s to perhaps later 70s- so anybody's guess on how it plays with a decent tip- if the shaft has reasonable straightness-- I personally love playing with older cues if they are reasonably straight and have a good tip - after all, experiencing how a cue plays is at least 60% of owning it- for me, anyhow.
BTW- that looks like a 70s era case- probably was with this cue for a long time- just an assumption. Also, Goodwill of Western and Northern CT- most probably ended up there on a home clean out for a deceased person- another tell-tale sign of the cue's age- definitely made before the 80s IMO--- this is an older area of CT where pool rooms were more populous until the early to mid 70s.

 

[GoldCrown]

Beautiful Rich… as nice as they get

 

[mikemosconi]

Definitely as classic looking as you will see from him- for sure!

 

[Homesplice]

Definitely as classic looking as you will see from him- for sure!

And how many peeps have a cue made by a holocaust survivor?

 

[Homesplice]

if it hits well. many didnt, put on a new tip and play with it.

Yep. Current tip is probably petrified

 

[Homesplice]

I do not think it is a Titlist. Veneer colors are wrong. Better pics might . . .

You are right that colors are wrong. Schmelke and Adams made titlist blanks for Brunswick in 1969 and 1970. This would fit the timeframe this cue was made. Chopdoc says in an earlier post that they were quite good with the Schmelke the better of the two. Apparently some collectors prefer the more vivid colors. I'm sure if an earlier titlist, it would be worth more.

 

[metallicane]

I bought two cues from Abe in 1982. Played great great. An old girlfriend took one and the other one disappeared during a move in the 90's. I wish I had them although I graduated to flat faced joints in the early 90's. I met him a few times and it was always a pleasure hearing his stories.

 

[Cornerman]

I believe this is likely an Abe Rich conversion. It appears to be in good shape. Not a fan of the red plastic. Any idea what this cues value is? I imagine its worth more to a collector than a player. Then again most collectors play.View attachment 757556View attachment 757557View attachment 757558

Abe didn't use Titlist blanks. He used import blanks that sort of looked like Titlists but weren't.

 

[Cornerman]

looks like one of the new york made cues. and wood from a brunswick house cue

Has to be a Rich Cue not Abe Rich.

 

[Cornerman]

Beautiful Rich… as nice as they get

Correct. This is not an Abe Rich.

 

[Homesplice]

Abe didn't use Titlist blanks. He used import blanks that sort of looked like Titlists but weren't.

That looks like what i have, but this is from Wiki
Abe, having worked at Rich Cue for three years, produced many pool cues at Star which bear a familial resemblance to his cousin's output. He favored Merry Widow forearms, and Brazilian Rosewood was often used, although he was also fond of more exotic materials. He stored hundreds of blanks of Goncalo Alves, Kingwood, Canadian Maple, Zebrawood, and Macassar Ebony, which dried year after year under the tarpaper roof. Merry Widows formed the basis of his production, although Abe did a number of Titleist conversions. He was particularly fond of Delrin trim rings and Ivorine-3 ferrules, assembling his cues with his own, top secret epoxy blend.[5]