LibraryFool77
Active member
Honestly, in today’s market I think it’s a 4k cue, but I wouldn’t pay that. I had Bob build it for me. I don’t know what market rate is but I’ve seen 3k cues try Bob, that didn’t hold a candle.
Cue Prices today, in this economy.
- Thread starter LibraryFool77
- Start date
Prices are compared to what they used to be but prices are high for everything... current cue prices are on par with the inflation, that means, about doubled in less than 20 years and that's what we see today.
If demand was high, prices should have been higher than they are today.
The new rich Chinese collectors grab a lot of high end cues but in the west, 5K cues don't move as fast as they used to. and 5K cues today are like 2.5K 20 years ago.
There is another thing to think about here, many of the legendary cue builders are either no longer with us or retired or about to retire (or leave us), There are new great cue makers but non of them will reach the desirability of the old legends, because those became legends due to the legendary players that played with those cues. Most of today's top players are playing with production cues.
We all heard how great the SouthWests plays or the Szambotis or the Tads or the Ginas etc. But we hardly hear anything about the current big names, Eddie Cohen for example makes amazing looking cues but who plays with them?
There is only one big custom cue maker that has top players using his cues and that's Zen, so, many Asian players might desire a Zen cue, the others want Predator or Mezz but will settle for a cheaper SVB CueTec
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So there’s a consortium of cue collectors who have conspired to sit on inventory to keep prices high? Really?
The fact that cues from well known cue makers hold their value or go up isn't that crazy. As far as new stuff goes. Prices on machinery and raw materials have skyrocketed..8 years ago you could get a Grizzly 13x40 for a little over 4K, now they are over 7K. A Bison 6 jaw used to be around $1200, now they are over 2K. A piece of Gaboon or Coco used to be about $40, now it's closer to $100 and some species of wood that used to be relatively easy to come by is now difficult to find unless you want to pay several hundred dollars. Equipment prices for the most part reflect this. Obviously some brands have sidestepped that all together and just sell you stuff with automotive pay and insane markups...
JasonATX
Well-known member
And yet, I still want a BK Rush one of these days.
My Runde Schon cost me $885 in 1984. It is a custom one of a kind Schon pool cue Bob Runde built.
It’s also the only pool cue Bob Runde built that was rejected and returned by his customer to do over.
Bob was quite perturbed but nonetheless handled this with grace and aplomb and built another cue.
It was exactly what I originally wanted built. Bob personalized the butt and this is indeed a custom.
If it was worth $900 in 1984, based on the current value of the dollar, my Schon is worth approx. $3k.
However, that a straight line economic comparison a which understates my cue’s potential real worth.
Supply and demand, in addition to rarity and scarcity, decide how much anything, especially pool cues,
are truly worth. Regardless, I didn’t collect my cues to resell them for a profit. I bought them to play pool.
Ironically, my Runde Schon has turned into a closet queen. Back in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s, pool cues tended
to be much heavier. My Schon exemplifies this. It’s a beast @ 20.35 ozs & all my ivory joint cues are 18.5 ozs.
It’s also the only pool cue Bob Runde built that was rejected and returned by his customer to do over.
Bob was quite perturbed but nonetheless handled this with grace and aplomb and built another cue.
It was exactly what I originally wanted built. Bob personalized the butt and this is indeed a custom.
If it was worth $900 in 1984, based on the current value of the dollar, my Schon is worth approx. $3k.
However, that a straight line economic comparison a which understates my cue’s potential real worth.
Supply and demand, in addition to rarity and scarcity, decide how much anything, especially pool cues,
are truly worth. Regardless, I didn’t collect my cues to resell them for a profit. I bought them to play pool.
Ironically, my Runde Schon has turned into a closet queen. Back in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s, pool cues tended
to be much heavier. My Schon exemplifies this. It’s a beast @ 20.35 ozs & all my ivory joint cues are 18.5 ozs.
Attachments
Zerksies
Well-known member
I bought this cue in 2001 for $450 they want $1695 today
Balabushka GB-6 Pool Pool Cue - On Sale Now
Balabushka GB-6 Pool Cue On Sale Now at BilliardWarehouse.com.
www.billiardwarehouse.com
Just proves that marketing trumps quality...
JasonATX
Well-known member
Truth be told, one of the custom cue makers that I buy from has x-rayed a BK Rush butt and I'm trying to get him to make a copy out of some kind of ridiculous woods like Amboyna or similar. I would pair it with a BK Rush shaft though, just because I can.
I have no idea. I never made such a claim. It was, however, suggested here, earlier in the conversation. I merely provided a counterexample to the claim you made in your reply to that post.