Fake on Ebay?...
- Thread starter Maestro
- Start date
Is the ad still up?
I would tend to trust the word of an AZBer on this matter anyway. We have a good nose (and eyes) for cues. :wink:
To the seller....best to be honest about everything. If anything does not look right you will lose buyers and potentially substantially damage the selling price. The cue is potentially valuable beyond perhaps what you may have thought if you are truly an amateur at this.
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Closer pics in better light of the signature area would be nice. My concerns are noted here:
Compared to these:
The finish color variation could have been due to a re-finish at some point, however the original owner has not done so in at least 30 years. It could also be from someone removing the finish in the area they are signed, and then signing and applying new finish. It doesn't appear to be hurting your eBay bids too much though.
Also look at the R and a not connecting on any of the 4 real examples, along with the lack of the swirled b and w.
Ok...
The original owner of the cue is a friend of mine, David Brown.
Dave is getting along in years, and I had to kind of pry this out of his memory.
He purchased the cue in 1967.
The story about it is that he ran a service station in Chicago back in those days. He was working on a car that an older fellow brought in. Dave noticed a pool sticker on the window and asked about it. The guy either worked with Herman Rambow, or the company that Rambow worked for. Dave does not remember the guys name, but said he looked like he was sixty or seventy years old, about six foot tall, grey hair. (From pics I have seen, I do not believe it was Herman himself at that time..)
All Dave wanted was a good shooting cue, with a slightly thinner shaft for his chubby fingers, and his name and initials on it.
He says he paid just around $300 for it because the guy liked the work he did on his car. The cue shapers came with the cue. He does not remember if the case was part of the purchase.
He remembers that the guy told him to keep the shaft smooth and in good shape, to lightly rub it with fine steel wool only.
He said he only had it worked on once, in the late 1960's or early 1970's. The tip came off the ferrule, and he had it replaced by a professional company that he thinks was in Wheeling, Illinois at the time.
The original owner of the cue is a friend of mine, David Brown.
Dave is getting along in years, and I had to kind of pry this out of his memory.
He purchased the cue in 1967.
The story about it is that he ran a service station in Chicago back in those days. He was working on a car that an older fellow brought in. Dave noticed a pool sticker on the window and asked about it. The guy either worked with Herman Rambow, or the company that Rambow worked for. Dave does not remember the guys name, but said he looked like he was sixty or seventy years old, about six foot tall, grey hair. (From pics I have seen, I do not believe it was Herman himself at that time..)
All Dave wanted was a good shooting cue, with a slightly thinner shaft for his chubby fingers, and his name and initials on it.
He says he paid just around $300 for it because the guy liked the work he did on his car. The cue shapers came with the cue. He does not remember if the case was part of the purchase.
He remembers that the guy told him to keep the shaft smooth and in good shape, to lightly rub it with fine steel wool only.
He said he only had it worked on once, in the late 1960's or early 1970's. The tip came off the ferrule, and he had it replaced by a professional company that he thinks was in Wheeling, Illinois at the time.
Yes, I do see the differences in the script.
I have read that Herman Rambow had ordinary handwriting, and others did the script. Is that true ?
Though I will have to see if I can find it, but I did see another cue that was signed "A Rambow Cue".
If there is someone using my pics on Craigslist, I would like to know about it!
I once had a similar thing happen to me on Ebay with a radio that I had sold a month earlier, and the guy used my photos and description.
I have read that Herman Rambow had ordinary handwriting, and others did the script. Is that true ?
Though I will have to see if I can find it, but I did see another cue that was signed "A Rambow Cue".
If there is someone using my pics on Craigslist, I would like to know about it!
I once had a similar thing happen to me on Ebay with a radio that I had sold a month earlier, and the guy used my photos and description.
Hell, if he purchased it in '67, it could have been signed posthumously (or close ot it) by someone working with Herman who didn't normally sign cues which could account for the signature and finish variations. It certainly looks like one of his cues and is certainly of that period.
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Edit: While this caligraphy is attributed to Rambow, it could very well have been Charlie Kimmel who did the writing on many of his cues:
The more I think about this, I wonder if it was signed "A Rambow Cue" after he died, or was not in good enough shape to do it himself. Signing it "A Rambow Cue" would not make it a forged signature if it was indeed a Rambow cue. David wanted his initials and name on the cue, and if Rambow was dead, someone would have probably put them on there to complete the sale.
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I do believe you are correct. Others actually did the script AFAIK. But I think the experts have various other means for identifying a Rambow. I do notice the difference in the script, but I won't offer my opinion on what that might mean as I am no expert at all on this matter.
I think if that Craigslist ad is still viewable it would be nice to give you a link.
We have all seen scams like that before.
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That IS nice script !!
I suppose it could be a "standard", if there was any Rambow cues like that, and a different shaft put on it, and then the script done.
Could that have been done by the company that he worked for in downtown Chicago?
In my Ebay photos, I had some that would not fit, like the bumper end...
OK.. How do i upload from my computer ??
In the meantime, I am going to search Craigslist...
I suppose it could be a "standard", if there was any Rambow cues like that, and a different shaft put on it, and then the script done.
Could that have been done by the company that he worked for in downtown Chicago?
In my Ebay photos, I had some that would not fit, like the bumper end...
OK.. How do i upload from my computer ??
In the meantime, I am going to search Craigslist...
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Sorry, I do not type fast at all.... Slow, actually..
I will talk to David Brown tomorrow, and see what places he used to play in.
I still have not found that Craigslist ad !!
Also, I would like to know how to download pics... Do I have to place them somewhere else first?
Thanks for everything guys.
Ron
I will talk to David Brown tomorrow, and see what places he used to play in.
I still have not found that Craigslist ad !!
Also, I would like to know how to download pics... Do I have to place them somewhere else first?
Thanks for everything guys.
Ron
You can use the attachment manager here (the little paperclip when you are posting) or upload somewhere.
Here is a good thread talking about Rambow cue signatures, many of which were done by Chalie Kimmel:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=268491
Assuming the others posted were Kimmel, I would say he did not do yours. Interesting to read about!
Thanks !!
Shall Do.
Think I have it figured out.. Here is the butt end of the cue...
I you guys want, I can take some photos tomorrow without a flash, and see if the script comes out better...
I thought the Bushkas were 150ish around 1970. So, add some dots like on this cue, and an extra shaft....
OK, still sounds a little high. But I don't think it's a big sticking point.
This is a great thread.