You need to ask Ernie how many he made in his first go around ? That would be a more accurate comparison.
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Balabushkas - How Many are left
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You need to ask Ernie how many he made in his first go around ? That would be a more accurate comparison.
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I got my Balabushka straight from George in October of 1975...perhaps one of the last cues he completely finished. Mine was a little rare, in that it had a leather wrap...something that afaik George didn't do many of. I have seen MANY Bushkas and never saw another one with a leather wrap, until last August. A buddy and I went to Wynkoop's to play for a few hours, and when I walked in I saw a Balabushka sitting on one of the front tables. I walked over and looked at it more closely, as it had a leather wrap. When I touched the cue, and rolled it a teenie bit, the owner (a older black gentleman, who was sitting at the bar) got REAL excited ("DON'T TOUCH the cue!). I went over and introduced myself, and Henry and I had a nice conversation. Turns out he was friends with George and had spent quite a bit of time at George's shop. I sold my Balabushka in 1991 for $4000 to the young girl that started Atlas Billiard Supply. They still have the cue in their safe!
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
No one will ever know for sure the number of survivors, as records like this were not kept. The good news is there are Balabushka's out there undiscovered, and you only need some luck hitting grage sales, estate sales,and you might find one.
and i can finger paint pretty good. but the ****s at the guggenhiem wont hang my stuff.
i dunno, maybe one of us just doesnt get it
Really? You want to go there? I have all the documentation to make you look like a blooming idiot, and liar.
Trust me you dont want to go there. I have enough PMs and Emails to write a book. I know you are highly respected by your peers, like Thomas Wayne, and most of the others at Jimbos. :eyerolls:
Interesting reading.
Just open the gate.
Ken
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wasn't it either late 72' or early73'?
Possibly. Ernie however had built a much larger shop even the first time as I understand it.
has cuemaking changed so much that we can't reasonably estimate based on current makers of similar size?
OK. Well we the public don't have the inside information. so we can only go on what's been reported. it would be natural to assume that the authors of the Billiard encyclopedia would do as much research as they could being that they are from New York City.
to me the only ones who might have the real numbers on cues made would be George's surviving family and Pete Tascarella if Pete got the paperwork to go along with the shop.
I don't know what it takes to build a cue under the conditions George had. Since he bought blanks instead of making them that's a time savings. Since he had shafts delivered at just oversize that would save time.
So from there...how many cues per year is reasonable? he built cues for 16 years but wasn't really busy until the mid 60s. so give it ten years at full throttle.
you think it was 200+ cues a year?
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There is a lot of truth here. I have had My Balabushka for almost my entire pool playing life. I could never imagine selling it. But then a person hits the age when he stops accumulating and begins to think about reducing his stockpile of worldy possessions. I will more than likely sell my cue at age 65. I don't want my stuff to be a burden to my children.
I agree, Walter knew what he had and told his brother. His brother knows not to give that cue away.
I have a few cues, over 5000 fishing lures and other tackle,collectibles that were used by Zane Grey and Ernest Hemingway.
Luckily my sons play pool and fish. They are educated in the value of it all.
In todays world you tell the kids what they have, with a few clicks on the PC value is easy to find.
Garage and closet finds are becoming rare as the days pass on.
Sincerely : SS
No matter how many, they are a rare bird. There is no way to document how many exist. The churning of known cues makes it seem like there are more than there really are. I would say John's and Joe's guess of 1000 to 1500 total would be a darn good one with 800 to 1200 survivors.
He was a perfectionist and was unusually patient. He spent a lot of time seeking out and picking though parts to make sure he had the shafts and butts he wanted to use. All the while, doing tips and repairs and taking new orders.
Unfortunately, neither the question of production number or surviving cues will ever be answered. But my guess is both numbers are well below the estimates typically made.
He was a perfectionist and was unusually patient. He spent a lot of time seeking out and picking though parts to make sure he had the shafts and butts he wanted to use. All the while, doing tips and repairs and taking new orders.
Unfortunately, neither the question of production number or surviving cues will ever be answered. But my guess is both numbers are well below the estimates typically made.
when is that birthday?
2018.......