Collectible Cue Values, a Shocking Study

[TATE]

Many of us are into the hobby of collecting cues, but how do collectible cues rate as an investment?

Over in the Cue Gallery, we did a little study. Cue dealers used to send mailers to their clients soliciting collectible cues. I scanned a number of these from the 1992 - 1994 time period and listed them on my site. I decided to check their prices against present day values, and enlisted the aid of my "Cue Gallery" cohorts.

How did collectible cues cues do as investment?

Take a look at the prices of yesteryear and how these cues fared as investments:

http://www.palmercollector.com/CuesAsInvestments.html


Chris



* "Shocking" was just a cheap hook to get you interested!

 

[jazznpool]

Fantastic work again Chris. You continue to help enlighten many of us...thanks.

Martin

Many of us are into the hobby of collecting cues, but how do collectible cues rate as an investment?

Over in the Cue Gallery, we did a little study. Cue dealers used to send mailers to their clients soliciting collectible cues. I scanned a number of these from the 1992 - 1994 time period and listed them on my site. I decided to check their prices against present day values, and enlisted the aid of my "Cue Gallery" cohorts.

How did collectible cues cues do as investment?

Take a look at the prices of yesteryear and how these cues fared as investments:

http://www.palmercollector.com/CuesAsInvestments.html


Chris



* "Shocking" was just a cheap hook to get you interested!

 

[cueball1950]

Thanks Chris

Chris....just a quick question if you know. How much is the Black Palmer (9th from the left). it has MOP lines snaking thru it worth? i believe it is also the last cue on the far right...........................mike

 

[Colin Colenso]

Take a look at the prices of yesteryear and how these cues fared as investments:

http://www.palmercollector.com/CuesAsInvestments.html

Chris

If the IPT brings pool to the masses, it could mulitply the number of cue collectors 10-fold, leading to a boom akin to the 1630's Dutch Tulip Mania speculative boom

See: http://www.stock-market-crash.net/tulip-mania.htm

 

[icon]

colin, are you making fun of your cue collecting brethren?

 

[CaptainHook]

Hey Tate, nice work. I have been a palmer owner since 75 when i bought
a model 1 from a freind, he told me then it was about 4 or 5 years old. It is Blue/Black/Blue with 4 points. I noticed you also like Jay Flower cases. I had Jay make me one in Blue leather to match my Palmer back in 1987. I also still
have what you call catalog 3 still in the envelope from Palmer from 1987. It is the 2 color pages and the price sheet. I also have that ad you have on your site from Billiard digest Feb 87. I looked at mine and i had written the correct last 4 digits of there phone number on it, as well as the name Chris?

Mike

 

[Colin Colenso]

colin, are you making fun of your cue collecting brethren?

Just a little ...but actually I wouldn't be suprised if some premium older collectibles boomed in value if the game became popular among the mainstream.

 

[TATE]

Chris....just a quick question if you know. How much is the Black Palmer (9th from the left). it has MOP lines snaking thru it worth? i believe it is also the last cue on the far right...........................mike

Mike,

That's the Model "M", Palmer's most famous design. Here's a page giving a brief history of the "M".

http://www.palmercollector.com/Model-M-page.html

This was Eugene Balner's inspiration and creation in 1968. Those wavy veneers are are not inlaid, they are built right into the body of the cue. Eugene Balner made each one himself because it required a freehand cut on the band saw, not a small trick with rock hard African ebony. They were only built for about 4 years. The inlays were also all done by hand by both Eugene and Ilona Balner.

M cues are not exactly plentiful, but they do come up for sale and the prices are creeping up there. Right now I would say $2500 is a fair price for one in decent shape with two shafts, although for prime all-original examples, you might have to add up to $1,000 from there.

There are some Palmer's that are well under-valued. This I believe is one that should be higher, since they were built by Eugene Balner himself and it is an icon of Palmer design.

Interestingly, this is one of the most famous cues in history, yet as far as I know the design was never copied!

Chris

 

[TATE]

If the IPT brings pool to the masses, it could mulitply the number of cue collectors 10-fold, leading to a boom akin to the 1630's Dutch Tulip Mania speculative boom

See: http://www.stock-market-crash.net/tulip-mania.htm

I also was a large collector of Broadcom, JDS Uniphase, and Cisco before I got into the cue thing!

Colin, seriously - good luck on the IPT - let's get together if you hit LAX OK?


Chris

 

[TATE]

Fantastic work again Chris. You continue to help enlighten many of us...thanks.

Martin

Thanks Martin. I am pretty sure that Ed Prewitt will be seen on that short list too!

Chris

 

[johnrp2005]

does ed prewitt make cues with points every ed prewitt ive seen has no points and thats about 10 cues ive seen on the net.if you have a pic please post it i would love to see it. i geuss his cues play really well.

 

[Colin Colenso]

I also was a large collector of Broadcom, JDS Uniphase, and Cisco before I got into the cue thing!

Colin, seriously - good luck on the IPT - let's get together if you hit LAX OK?


Chris

Thanks Chris,
Sure would like to meet up.....but what does LAX stand for?

Not so up to date on US abbreviations

Col

 

[TATE]

Thanks Chris,
Sure would like to meet up.....but what does LAX stand for?

Not so up to date on US abbreviations

Col

Colin,

Sorry - that's Los Angeles International Airport's 3 letter code.

Chris

 

[TATE]

does ed prewitt make cues with points every ed prewitt ive seen has no points and thats about 10 cues ive seen on the net.if you have a pic please post it i would love to see it. i geuss his cues play really well.

Sorry, I don't have a pic but he makes some really fine pointed cues. They are rare and expensive.

Chris

 

[jazznpool]

Prewitt has made many pointed cues and is currently working on a nice group of them that will be for sale sometime in about late February. Take a look at www.ilovecues.com. Lucky has a few pictured. There will be a few Hoppe style, 6-pointers, 4-pointers all ivory jointed.

Also be sure to put your name in the hat when I post a brand new very limited edition EP sneaky pete for sale by drawing after DCC in the AZB for sale section and at my website. I'll collect names of those interested and probably draw the name and an alternate out of a hat. Cue is built to same EP specs as full custom cues with high quality butt (nice woods and points line up) super premium Prewitt shaft, ivory ferrule, Moori tip, and specially designed paua shell ring above short phenolic buttcap. More details the week after DCC.

Martin

does ed prewitt make cues with points every ed prewitt ive seen has no points and thats about 10 cues ive seen on the net.if you have a pic please post it i would love to see it. i geuss his cues play really well.

 

[glaze]

Many of us are into the hobby of collecting cues, but how do collectible cues rate as an investment?

Over in the Cue Gallery, we did a little study. Cue dealers used to send mailers to their clients soliciting collectible cues. I scanned a number of these from the 1992 - 1994 time period and listed them on my site. I decided to check their prices against present day values, and enlisted the aid of my "Cue Gallery" cohorts.

How did collectible cues cues do as investment?

Take a look at the prices of yesteryear and how these cues fared as investments:

http://www.palmercollector.com/CuesAsInvestments.html


Chris



* "Shocking" was just a cheap hook to get you interested!

Tate

Nice work and very interesting. The custom pool cue makers with the highest reputation who are making very few cues will actually be very good investments. It's a combination of reputation and rarity. The best of it's kind while being very rare always has a high value.

I got on Searing and Hercek's pool cue order waiting lists. Personally I just want the best custom made pool cue I can buy and that's why I decided on these two makers. I'm not sure of how many pool cues Searing is making a year, but Hercek told me he is making around 50 cues a year now. A Hercek cue is pretty much guaranteed to have a high resale value 20 years from now. I'm not buying as an investment, but I really am because I'm buying from two of the most respected custom pool cue makers making pool cues today so given enough time they will sell for more than I bought them for. I don't plan on selling these cues ever though once I get them.

Mike