For Sale: Herman Rambow's Tools and Miscellaneous Cue Parts

9ballrob

9ballrob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A Chicago billiard retailer in approximately the late 1980s purchased all of Herman Rambow's tools, lathe and many miscellaneous cue parts from Steve Bihun who apprenticed under Rambow in the 1950s.

A large majority of these tools as well as the lathe were sold to Victor Stein in the early 1990s. Some of these tools also end up in the hands of Joe Newell. About 10 years ago Joe Newell contacted me and said that he wanted to sell the tools that he had. The tools were given to me and I then sold them to Mark Stellinga.

The group of tools offered here in this listing are in rougher condition than the ones I sold in the past. All of the tools are rusty but with a lot of cleaner and elbow grease they should clean up fine.

There are ivory joints, mother of pearl pieces, original 3/8 fibre butt plates in the plastic bag, metal tip gauge and lots of rods of various colors that I assume were used for inlays?? One piece of the rod stock appears to be used for butts on Rambow cues.

If you have and old Rambow cue or are a collector of antique billiard memorabilia these items would be a great addition to your collection.



SOLD!

Rob Montgomery
 
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I was in Herman's shop when it was on Wabash Ave, on the second floor of that old building.

I ordered a cue from him, cost me $ 60.00 bucks :)

I clearly remember those wooden handled tools on his bench.

His shop was pretty small, a lathe, a couple of benches, not really to much stuff that I remember - but he still turned out the most beautiful cues I remember as a young guy, I think I might have been about 16yrs. old at the time.

I remember he had some finished cues in a rack on the wall to my left as I was facing him. I later learned that he used to make a copy of all the big time players that he made a cue for in case they needed a replacement.

What an extraordinary find you have, what a piece of history, if only these tools could talk.

Some collector is going to pick up a gold mine.

Thanks for posting these pictures, I've copied them into a folder for future gazing.

Tommyd1
 
Tommyd1 said:
I was in Herman's shop when it was on Wabash Ave, on the second floor of that old building.

I ordered a cue from him, cost me $ 60.00 bucks :)

I clearly remember those wooden handled tools on his bench.

His shop was pretty small, a lathe, a couple of benches, not really to much stuff that I remember - but he still turned out the most beautiful cues I remember as a young guy, I think I might have been about 16yrs. old at the time.

I remember he had some finished cues in a rack on the wall to my left as I was facing him. I later learned that he used to make a copy of all the big time players that he made a cue for in case they needed a replacement.

What an extraordinary find you have, what a piece of history, if only these tools could talk.

Some collector is going to pick up a gold mine.

Thanks for posting these pictures, I've copied them into a folder for future gazing.

Tommyd1
Click to expand...

17 N. Wabash Ave. if memory serves me correctley. 2nd floor with gold leaf lettering.

Keefe & Hammer Billiard Supply
Cues by Herman Rambow

I bought mine in 1965 while on vacation with a high school friends family. I was just 16 at the time. Paid $50.00. Paid $15.00 for the brown fake leather hard case. Still have it in unrestored condition. An exact duplicate of Mosconis'. I've turned down huge offers for it. I remember walking in that day with the glass display on the left of the room with all the accessories and some completed cues on the wall. Saw the pictures of the cues he made for all the old greats of the game and the ones for 'The Hustler'. It took me 15 weeks at $5.00 per week mailed from N.C. to pay for it. They mailed it to me. Carried it to the local pool hall at Elon College and couldn't get a game because of it!!
Someone posted on Wikipedia that Balabushka was the 'Stadvari of cue makers'....guess the guy NEVER read the Billiard Hall of Fame write-up of Rambow when he was the first cue maker inducted.
GREAT seeing this stuff.

Thanks for the memories.

MIKE

P.S.
Remember how small his room was at the right rear of the unit?
 
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