Attention all RASCHIG owners and collectors.

[K2Kraze]

Hello everyone -

️ ALL HAVE BEEN SOLD ️

My good friend from the western shores of England (Rubik’s Cube) and myself would like to make available to the good folks of the esteemed AZB forum a truly once-in-a-lifetime albeit unusual find from what we’ve been able to verify within a hair of perfect authenticity....

PLEASE reference the Main Forum and Rubik’s Cube recent post with the same thread title as this one for the complete back-story and how we were able to acquire these rare balls.

We are offering individual balls for sale to those folks that would like a unique and very rare part of what we believe within 99.7% surety to be from the great manufacturer Raschig.

Only 16 total balls will be made available from this complete box we received earlier this year...

The all-inclusive price for one ball sent and insured CONUS is a very reasonable $35. PayPal of course.

PLEASE send your request for purchase to me directly at my personal email since I will be traveling extensively the next few weeks and may not have timely access to the forum. Rest assured that the first 16 payments received will indeed receive one of the above 16 perfect and pristine examples as they came from the factory. Never touched. Never polished.


email:

toKerry@aol.com

PayPal account under the very same address.

Please note: all individual ball parcels will ship mid-July to facilitate packaging and delivery to my good friend that handles all items for me.

Any and all questions or issues, please don’t hesitate contacting me anytime via personal email -

Thanks everyone!

~ Kerry

~ K.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bavafongoul]

Kerry, unless someone was quicker on the draw, there's now only 15 remaining balls.
Payment completed.....pick me out a nice one.....thanks for sharing this find....Matt B.

 

[DJ66]

I just ordered and paid for 2. Both as gifts for friends. Thanks for offering these up.

 

[K2Kraze]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Poodle of Doom]

Hello everyone -

My good friend from the western shores of England (Rubik’s Cube) and myself would like to make available to the good folks of the esteemed AZB forum a truly once-in-a-lifetime albeit unusual find from what we’ve been able to verify within a hair of perfect authenticity....

PLEASE reference the Main Forum and Rubik’s Cube recent post with the same thread title as this one for the complete back-story and how we were able to acquire these rare balls.

Oh really? Rubik's didn't seem to say that on the other thread? I'm sure it's just a turn of phrase here though. That I'm reading to much into it.

Do we have any amateur sleuths among us on the AZB boards, a budding Hercule Poirot or Ellery Queen, perchance? This week's mystery, brought to you in stereo from the great state of Texas, is The Case Of The Ringed Cueballs. Da da daaaa!

The unusual examples of K2Kraze's post below are strangely hypnotic when presented in concert, all those concentric circles mesmerising a viewer's eye as if in some billiardesque homage to Marcel Duchamp. But what exactly, one might ask, are these quirky pool balls? From where and when did they originate? Who made them? And why have they caused such debate of late within the collecting fraternity?

Permit me if you will, dear reader, to recount everything I know. Three full sets of these curios were recently obtained from Lübbecke, a town in northeast Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. They were sold to us as the veritable Holy Grail of any keen pool ball enthusiast... long lost prototype designs from the most desirable and heralded of manufacturers, the mighty Raschig. Here is the rub though, ladies and gentlemen. Despite exhaustive research we have been unable to confirm the origin of these balls to our total satisfaction. They are PROBABLY genuine, but I'm not yet prepared to stake my good reputation on such a bold claim. The positive news is that they arrived in the iconic blue box, their lustrous patina is commensurate of a 1970's vintage, and they're undoubtedly of German heritage... that much at least I can guarantee with complete confidence.

It is feasible in my view that they were experimental pieces at the R & D stage of early production from this renowned company. An evaluation of possible stripe placement, number spot design or analysis of embossing processes perhaps? I can offer firm assurances that this configuration was never marketed, nor have the cueballs ever been struck in anger, they are in a pristine, unused condition. I must, however, comment on the depth of groove which is a noticeable feature of almost every black circle... very few are perfectly flush with the ball's surface and some could be described as deep. It is rather reminiscent to me of those beautiful old sets where the number engravings have sunk or deteriorated somewhat, certainly an issue if one intended to play with them.

With unimpeachable provenance of authenticity these balls would surely be worth a great deal to existing Raschig owners or any avid collector. In this instance, however, an honourable course of action is to catalogue them as being of uncertain origin and encourage folks to don a deerstalker, fill a pipe or two and perhaps engage in a little detective work of their own. If anyone is interested I'll gladly answer all questions on here or via PM.

Best wishes and thank you for reading.
RC.

 

[K2Kraze]

Yes, poodle, you’re possibly reading too much into things here with my choice of using words “within a hair...” which was meant to convey that we can’t say with 100% surety - but everything we have found out about the discovery and few boxes uncovered get as close as possible to being certain. Thusly described by myself as “within a hair...” If it makes you feel better, I’ll call it a deeper mystery - an enigma - and let the things we have written of them and shared so far be the deciding issues whether one of these ball samples deserves a place on your shelf - or pass. All told, we are nearly giving away the few balls we do have when considering shipping costs, transaction fees, packaging, travel and time spent - all for the genuine purpose of sharing balls with ties to this illustrious game.

I’ll close with this, doomed poodle - the ONLY thing we have not been able to verify that would prove to us these are 100% indisputable Raschig’s is printed material coming directly from them - photo proof.

On a side note, can you provide 100% proof of your poodle origin, sir?



~ K.

 

[K2Kraze]

 

[Poodle of Doom]

Yes, poodle, you’re possibly reading too much into things here with my choice of using words “within a hair...” which was meant to convey that we can’t say with 100% surety - but everything we have found out about the discovery and few boxes uncovered get as close as possible to being certain. Thusly described by myself as “within a hair...” If it makes you feel better, I’ll call it a deeper mystery - an enigma - and let the things we have written of them and shared so far be the deciding issues whether one of these ball samples deserves a place on your shelf - or pass. All told, we are nearly giving away the few balls we do have when considering shipping costs, transaction fees, packaging, travel and time spent - all for the genuine purpose of sharing balls with ties to this illustrious game.

I’ll close with this, doomed poodle - the ONLY thing we have not been able to verify that would prove to us these are 100% indisputable Raschig’s is printed material coming directly from them - photo proof.

On a side note, can you provide 100% proof of your poodle origin, sir?



~ K.

I guess I'll just take it at face value then. I trust you knew it was in jest?

For what it's worth, I can provide documentation of my Poodle origin. Would you like me to?

 

[Ssonerai]

"on the internet you could be a dog......"



smt

 

[Bavafongoul]

There isn't 100% certainty that these cue balls are indeed Raschig.

Nonetheless, the balls do have a distinctive look & seem to be one of a kind.

I've never seen a cue ball like this and I've viewed a lot during my pool playing.

Personally, I buy a lotto ticket now & then never expecting to win but always hoping.

This is like a lotto ticket but the difference is I get a unique styled cue ball regardless.

I think this is such a rare opportunity, I mentioned to Rupert I'm getting two cue balls.

Again, there's no 100% guarantee these are Raschig but it's worth the price to get one.



Matt B.

 

[Poodle of Doom]

"on the internet you could be a dog......"



smt

Well, now, I could be the smartest dog you've ever met. You don't know.

There isn't 100% certainty that these cue balls are indeed Raschig.

Nonetheless, the balls do have a distinctive look & seem to be one of a kind.

I've never seen a cue ball like this and I've viewed a lot during my pool playing.

Personally, I buy a lotto ticket now & then never expecting to win but always hoping.

This is like a lotto ticket but the difference is I get a unique styled cue ball regardless.

I think this is such a rare opportunity, I mentioned to Rupert I'm getting two cue balls.

Again, there's no 100% guarantee these are Raschig but it's worth the price to get one.



Matt B.

To you, perhaps. For the rest of us, who knows?

 

[K2Kraze]

I guess I'll just take it at face value then. I trust you knew it was in jest?



For what it's worth, I can provide documentation of my Poodle origin. Would you like me to?

Hello again, poodle -

Of course I knew (with 97.8% surety) that your post was in jest - which I appreciated sir! I’m hoping you enjoyed my reply and didn’t take it as a retort - all in good fun I can assure you. I just couldn’t resist the chance to segue from Raschig to Poodle origins

~K.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Poodle of Doom]

Hello again, poodle -

Of course I knew (with 97.8% surety) that your post was in jest - which I appreciated sir! I’m hoping you enjoyed my reply and didn’t take it as a retort - all in good fun I can assure you. I just couldn’t resist the chance to segue from Raschig to Poodle origins

~K.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Like I said, I can document my origins. Just let me know if you need that to happen.

 

[Bavafongoul]

Kerry,

Payment just completed for a 2nd cue ball; thanks again to Rupert & yourself
for offerring these balls on the Forum. Rupert said the count was down to 7 left.

Matt B.

 

[K2Kraze]

Appreciate it Matt!

I’ll also be including something “extra” with each ball sent out -

Down to 4 actually.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bavafongoul]

On our nation's birthday, there were sixteen (16) cue balls available FS.

Kerry indicates there's only four (4) left so it's time to act now or miss out.

 

[K2Kraze]

Thanks to everyone that inquired about the ringed cueballs that we made available to our fellow AZB’ers. All have been sold and I thought a proper sendoff photo session was deserving of these before shipping out to new owners as I had them ready for packaging and out on the table this evening.

Enjoy - and hopefully these will encourage a few delightful conversations as to the what, where and how they were acquired - and possible friends met and made along this journey.

Wishing everyone a great weekend ahead.

~ K.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bavafongoul]

Great photo.......it's a gorgeous chorus line arrangement.

Thanks to Kerry & Rupert for bringing this to the Forum.


Matt B.

 

[K2Kraze]

An update for all the fine folks that purchased a ball (or two balls in a few cases) and keep tabs on this thread until their parcels arrive - - all packages have been sent via USPS through my good friend that owns a local shipping outlet nearby - each package has it’s own tracking information of course - which I will kindly forward to any of the buyers if they so desire and enquire via email - or have any issues receiving them.

Great weekend ahead for everyone!

~ K.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bavafongoul]

Thank you for being so thorough and including details with your updates.