explain me how to id cue's

Solartje

Solartje

the Brunswick BUG bit me
Silver Member
Hi all,

im pritty new in the poolscene, and getting more and more interested in poolcue's. now it seems many people can id cue's without looking at the logo. they say things like; Ow thats a classic sw ringwork, or stuff like that.

can anyone explain me some basics about how u can id a cue?
maybe someone can even do alot of work, and post pictures of typical things certain cuemakers use?

i live in belgium where no one owns a custom cue, so i cant ask anyone to explain me. i know this forum is filled with experts and i was hoping one person could give a quick 'how to id cue's ' guide. im sure im not the only one who would like to learn this.
 
Certain cuemakers are known for certain styles, it may be a way they do their points, or a certain inlay design, or ringwork. You just have to look at alot of cues, and even then, some might fool you if it is a design that has been copied. Buy yourself a copy of the Blue Book of Cues, this is a basic reference, and will give you some pics to start your learning process. Then look at cues on the internet.
Alot of it is just knowing who the different cuemakers are, and their basic designs, no different than looking at cars, and saying thats a mercedes, or thats a chevrolet.....
Chuck
 
cue ID

It takes education, knowledge, and experience, just like any other skill. All 3 blue books would be even better, along with The Billiards encylopedia by Victor Stein and Paul Rubino if you can find one. Also old sales catalogs and adds for cues to supplment your general knowledge and help to id specific cues out of a cue line. Last of all just get out to the diffrent pool halls, meet with collectors and players, go to some pro tour events and billiard shows, that should round out your education in a hurry!!! Soon YOU will become the local expert. Good luck.
 
how to id cues....

It takes years of experience and having thousands of cues pass through your hands. Having a good memory helps.

Sean
 
All beguining collectors

Buy a blue book pay attention to everything but the pricing. Values are set at retail and nobody around here is into paying full price or retail value. There is plenty of good background info in those things though!
Nick
 
thx for the idea, and special thanks to purdman for the pm !!!!!!!!!!
cant wait :D

ps i live in belgium, there are exactly 0!!! cue collectors, 0!!! custom cue users. lets say 80% use cues from muecci, predator, mcdermot, the other 20% uses 20$ cues they sell in the poolhalls.

i dont think ive EVER seen a custom cue in my country. lets face it, belgium is a customcue-analphabet. hence why i posted it here. i cant ask ANYONE to explain me, or check cues from players. even our 'pros' are shooting with cheap production cue's :) i even get LOL'ed at when i told some close friends about me buying a custom cue from Shurtz or Coker. i supose u can guess how the conversation went......

Id love to become the first custom expert, and i might even start building some cues later. a wood artist told me i could use his lathe, cnc, etc for free. but thats something ill have to learn later :) im still VERY young, and it seems like there is never enough hours in a day to learn all id like to learn.

but hey, im 29 :D still 50 years to learn, and to pass on my knowledge to others. In a small country like mine, u have to start small. :p


ps Purdman: U just made someone VERY VERY Happy :D
 
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nick serdula said:
Buy a blue book pay attention to everything but the pricing. Values are set at retail and nobody around here is into paying full price or retail value. There is plenty of good background info in those things though!
Nick
Click to expand...

Good advice but for some cues like Hercek, South West, Searing, Ed Young, and a few more, buyers routinely pay more than retail price. Sometimes far more. That's just the market because of the long waits and/or low volume of available cues.

Also, some of the BB's pricing is erroneous, so know that going into it.

When it comes to being able to identify cues, nothing can replace physically inspecting them. A repository of pictures such as the BB is always helpful, though.

Sean
 
Spreading joy all over the world, ahh, that's a nice. My pleasure my friend.
Welcome to the wonderful world of cue addiction! Your gift will be on the way tomorrow.
Purdman
 
It can be a very frustrating thing. Some cues are easy to ID and some are simply impossible. It is very difficult to identify many cues with certainty, even for experts.

One of the reasons why I created The Palmer Collector was to help others who had a common interest in these cues to properly identify and date their Palmer cue.

I think the hard part is the thousands and maybe even millions of imported look-alike cues that have been made for the last 35 years or more. Many designs and elements have been copied and have become generic.

My suggestion would be to get a general knowledge of cues, then to focus on a specific genre of cue or cue makers which interest you.

Chris
 
Start with getting all 3 Blue Books and the Billiards Encyclopedia. These books are invalueable. Collect old cue catalogs. Go to shows and talk with the cuemakers. Visit all the cuemaker websites.

I've been collecting cues for more than 30 years. I'm far from knowing everything about every cue I see but I am pretty good at spotting a cue that is likely to be a collectable cue. It's a fascinating hobby with a surprise always just around the corner.

I've been in the personal property appraisal business for many years and I find that I learn the most when I'm working with my checkbook in my mouth. Careful buying and selling will teach you the most over time.

Good Luck!
 
Paying attention to what people on this site have to say (and knowing what junk to filter out) is a great start too... there is a lot of knowledge on this board, and about 75% of the people on here are honest and willing to share knowledge...

You can tell who the others are because they usually do not stick around too long... ;)
 
yup, thx all for the greath advices and Purdman thx for the gift. hard to find a better place then here , regardless of the other 25%.

greats, solly
 
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