Cue collecting 101?

danick70

danick70

69 Beep Beep
Silver Member
So...what other resources are out there, like this site or the BB's, for new cue collectors or do ya just have to figure out what ya like & maybe it becomes more valuable?

What & why(form or function)do you guy's buy?...players that make great hitting cues, artistic values only, or what???

I'm sure, some are buying for long term investments & others trying a flip quick.

Just some ramblings from a new collector, thanks, Jim
 
New collector

Jim,

Hang out here for a while, you will learn a lot :)

Learning takes a little bit of time as to what people are looking for in collectable cues.

This is your best resourse, just sit back and take in the knowledge.

Best place in the world to learn :D

Enjoy !

Tommyd1
 
i was flipping cues making $$ years ago before the internet days, it aint a way to get rich, but its fun.

I have awalys bought cues for different reasons. some just becuse of how they look-i'm a stone sucker for pretty wood.

I buy cues because of how they feel, as a tool to play with.

I have awalys kept a % of my net worth in cues, when I was broke I still had $20,000 in cues and shared a studio apt with 2 other guys and ate ramin noodles and Hot Pockets, its a nice clean way to store some cash and not be obvious about it, the trick here is to buy cues that dont go down in price-something thats tough to do these days, Szams, Bushkas are safe but BIG$$$$ $$$$$$(CORNSHIT STYLE$$$$), Ok, back to being serious you have to do some homework to be on the smart $$$$ SIDE (oops I slipped again). ignore the $$$ thing thats a inside joke. But Szams and Bushkas, southwests are good cues that play great and hold their value, Sugartree cues are too.

personally i like to play with a simple looking cue, right now i'm not, i think i'm going to have some inlays removed, its to flashy, I love owning flashy cues but not as my day to day cue.
 
cues are like any other item, only worth what someone will pay . price goes up and down , and it is not a way to make boocu bucks ,mostly hobbies. i look back at when zamboti were 175 bucks out the door way back in the day, now nothing under 10,000 . who will be the future big buck cues ? your guess is as good as the next guy - nobody knows.
 
I have a bunch of John Wrights mailers from 8-12 years ago. Some cues are listed for more then than they sell for now. The ones that have appreciated are what you would expect.

For "investment"

Szamboti
Bushka
Searing
Manzino
Haley
Gina's (the prices havent went up a whole lot but they hold their value well)
Fancy or rare South Wests
Hercek
Tascarella
Tad (older cues...preferably with Ivory or 8 points)

None of the above are cheap to buy now but if you get in at a reasonable price you won't get hurt in the short term and will probably be able to make a little in the long run.

The market for these cues is pretty small and the community of collectors and dealers that post here is the single largest resource available for cue provenance and an idea of what the market is doing.

Really very simple...only buy premium stuff in the best possible condition made by the very upper echelon of makers.

To paraphrase Fast Eddie " Only invest in excellence"


My .02 from a guy who did the complete opposite of the above. I just loved cues so much I flipped and traded to get the next toy with little regard to turning a profit....now that the gee whiz has worn off I still love cues, I just don't chase them anymore. Do your research and buy with your head...just like anything else.

One more thing...it seems that anything under $3K is extremely tough to make anything on lately...I don not see that changing in the near future. Like the rest of the world the high end of the market seems to be the strongest and think it will stay that way for a long time.
 
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danick70 said:
So...what other resources are out there, like this site or the BB's, for new cue collectors or do ya just have to figure out what ya like & maybe it becomes more valuable?

What & why(form or function)do you guy's buy?...players that make great hitting cues, artistic values only, or what???

I'm sure, some are buying for long term investments & others trying a flip quick.

Just some ramblings from a new collector, thanks, Jim
Click to expand...


Ron Haley may be the finest current cue maker alive. and does not make all that many cues. it wouldnt hurt to get in that line if you have that kind of investment $$

Jayman.
 
I agree with "Tommyd1"

Interact, examine, evaluate, make some new contacts and relax.

You are in the right place for either collectibilty, playability, ego or all the above. And the way the market is.....all can be had at a considerable discount from even a year ago.

Make some friends and especially listen to the guys who have a ba-zillion posts. I have found this place to have more integrity than any other chat room on the web, without question.

First off.....figure out whether the cue you are potentially concidering is for play...show...profit...collection. Then ask some questions based on that.

greg libby
(man or myth)


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Forget the BB. It's Ok as a source for cue maker contact info and obsolete retail pricing for "production" cues.

If your truly green (new) and bright you'll know your way around after perusing this site and EBAY for a year or three. DON'T believe everything you see and read.

Go to cue shows and other venues where cue makers and/or dealers strut their stuff.

Develop a network of knowledgable people you trust that aren't trying to sell or trade with you 24/7.

ENJOY and good luck...
 
Just my thoughts,,you cant go wrong with a Barry Szamboti, Gus Szamboti,Searing, Bill Schick or Joel Hercek..,,that is just my top 5 but there are many other good ones out there as well..been doing this for more the 20 year best of luck a new buyer is away welcome..best Ken Carfagno from Highendcues.com


P.S. anyone have any for sale Email pic and price to Kc7665@aol.com
 
I agree with Fatboy....flipping cue ain't gonna make you rich (actually you might end up in the red!!!LOL considering the time you spend at pool halls, researching, and dealing and of course opportunity cost of your time) but it's been overall a really fun hobby for me over the last 10 plus years as I'm sure you run through hundreds if not thousands of cues. It's really an opportunity to learn for yourself what make a cue play good and who make them as you'll get the opportunity to test them all out. I must have hit will hundreds of cues and there were difinitely time when I wish I didn't sell some of them.

It's a nice way to invest as you can "Play" with your investment!!:) Recently people are starting to realize that cues are not as liquid as they used to be and some are slowing liquidation their collections. It all come down to whether you're a player and a collector....if you're a player...buy only cues that plays good to you but buy them right ....so that when you find the next holy grail...you can move them to get it.

If you're a collector, you want to buy with the market......SugarTree, Southwest, B and G Szamboti, Tascarella, and probably any full splice cues (IMO). If you want to flip cues...make sure you know your market and buy in the right range...don't go buying high end cues and start to realize you don't have the market to move them. There are only a handful of collectors out there that are willing to shell out the dough for high end cues and a very small group of individual that can avoid to pay for mid range cues.

If you got $$$$ then...just buy anything you like! who care you don't need to make money from cues. Just don't hog them all, leave some for us commoner with mortgages and bills :))

If I wake up today and find out that I've won the Mega....well..the cues industry will no longer be in a recession and Bill at CornerStone will probably be out of business..hell even Lucky will be out!!

Good Luck and Enjoy!!!!

Regards,
Duc.
 
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kchighendcues said:
Just my thoughts,,you cant go wrong with a Barry Szamboti, Gus Szamboti,Searing, Bill Schick or Joel Hercek..,,that is just my top 5 but there are many other good ones out there as well..been doing this for more the 20 year best of luck a new buyer is away welcome..best Ken Carfagno from Highendcues.com


P.S. anyone have any for sale Email pic and price to Kc7665@aol.com
Click to expand...
I agree but dont forget Scruggs and Mottey. :)
 
Tommyd1 said:
Jim,

Hang out here for a while, you will learn a lot :)

Learning takes a little bit of time as to what people are looking for in collectable cues.

This is your best resourse, just sit back and take in the knowledge.

Best place in the world to learn :D

Enjoy !

Tommyd1
Click to expand...

good advice I agree


ribdoner said:
Forget the BB. It's Ok as a source for cue maker contact info and obsolete retail pricing for "production" cues.

If your truly green (new) and bright you'll know your way around after perusing this site and EBAY for a year or three. DON'T believe everything you see and read.

Go to cue shows and other venues where cue makers and/or dealers strut their stuff.

Develop a network of knowledgable people you trust that aren't trying to sell or trade with you 24/7.

ENJOY and good luck...
Click to expand...


More great advice
 
Hey fast Lenny that was just my top 5 .,,but mottey and scruggs also very good.. hope to see you at SUPER BILLIARDS EXPO (allens show) booth 86 stop by..have a good day best Little Kenny from Highendcues.com..
 
The first thing to do when becoming a cue collector is.....don't buy anything!

The second thing is decide what type of collector you are(or want to be):

1)Inexpensive fun collector, like off the rack cues...few hunderd dollars apiece etc.

2) A certain style of cues..say sneaky petes or traditional cues,antique etc.

3) Custom cues from real custom cuemakers

4) High end custom cues

5) Rare and historical cues

6) Investment cues..the very special cuemakers ( there are about 10 living cuemakers in this catagory).

or a combination of all or some.

7) Would you rather own fewer cues at a higher value range or more cues at a lower value range.

A person that just flips cues is not a cue collector.

Get to know cue dealers like Bill @ Cornerstone, The Ken's at Highendcues, Cueaddicts etc.

Go to the Cue Collector shows and Valley Forge.

If you prefer a certain category like high end then get to know real high end collectors and dealers..... there are a lot of people on AZ and everywhere that give advice on cue collecting that have absolutely no experience in buying high end cues and have never spent a dime on one.....stay away from these people.

Also when you see posters on AZ that are giving advice on the " value of a cue" or telling you how great so and so cuemaker(s) is or isn't, check to see what kind of rods they own......many of the so called info givers have very limited knowledge and very few rods and usually the lower end cues. Now if you are looking to collect lower end cues which is an excellent area to collect( lower end is dollar amount ) get to know collectors in that area.

And last but not least get to know cuemakers and I mean a whole bunch of them, most are super nice guys (and some gals) that will be more than happy to show you around the shops and talk about cues.

The Blue Books have lots of amazing info on cues and the Billiard encyclopedia.

It all boils down to your interests,bank account and your desire to become a collector and buy what you like.
 
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Great input by everyone out there. I did collect cues, and had about $75k worth when I retired. I decided to get rid of them and just buy/sell/trade as a hobby. Since I am retired, it lets me keep in contact with a bunch of good folks, and I get to have a bunch of different cues in my hands....you won't make a ton of money, though, but it is really fun.

Best advice...buy what you like. You can never go wrong with the top cuemakers cues (Szam, Bushka, etc), but it is a ton of money.
Joe
 
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Collecting!?

I would concur with Marcus and Joe.....buy what you like! :)

AZ is a wonderful resource and marketplace -- it's a BUYER's market at this time so ENJOY ;)

Good Rolls to YA & always have some FUN with your hobby :cool:
 
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