George Balabushka, any guess?

jayman said:
Does anybody have a reasonable guess as to what the average cost of a Balabushka cue cost new? I am wondering, if you take the 1200 cues ever made estimate, and multiply that by the average sale price what his gross sales would look like for16 years before expenses. Then adjust for inflation,see what that looks like in today dollars. Then try to guess materials and equipment and electricity etc... too see if it makes any sense. Essentially, I'm wondering if he could have supported himself back then given the 1200 cues over 16 years figure?
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Hi Jayman:
In 1968 I bought a cue from George for $75, so that a guaranteed EXACT price not an estimate. I still have it. The butt is the same as the Brunswick titleist of the day, and I spent time with George in his garage workshop and as an engineering student at the time, I helped him fit up his lathe with a camera iris on the drawbar to keep the shaft tip from wobbling around when he was working on the joint end. My friend Barry Shaw bought an ebony butt version at the same time and that cost him $125, and I am kicking myself for not having done that, but in those days, the extra $50 was VERY SIGNIFICANT, I was only 22.

My home room was Jacy's in Flushing and I met George at the Golden Cue on Queens Blvd. As far as i know, my cue was one of his earliest he made ( before "Bushka" rings). There's a photo on the web of Jimmy Cattrano jr. using it in some tournament.

From your post, you'll have a tough job since he made a wide range of cues over many years and I'm sure the prices changed significantly over the decades, so trying to estimate lifetime revenues is a guess at best.

Marty
 
marty619 said:
Bob Jewett.. your name is so familiar to me but I can't figure out why.
Did you ever play at either the Golden Cue or Jacy's?
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He wrote an instructional pool column for Billiards Digest magazine for many years, has been a recognized valuable participant in online pool forums for decades, ran the straight pool challenge at the Derby City Classic for many years, is widely considered a top authority on just about all things pool, is an esteemed pool instructor, has been a judge for pool events, and has otherwise been extremely prominent in the pool community in a variety of ways so it could be anywhere that you are familiar with him but if I had to guess my guess would be from Billiards Digest if you were ever a reader as his columns were fantastic. Bob would be able to add to that list significantly.
 
Poolplaya9 said:
He wrote an instructional pool column for Billiards Digest magazine for many years, has been a recognized valuable participant in online pool forums for decades, ran the straight pool challenge at the Derby City Classic for many years, is widely considered a top authority on just about all things pool, is an esteemed pool instructor, has been a judge for pool events, and has otherwise been extremely prominent in the pool community in a variety of ways so it could be anywhere that you are familiar with him but if I had to guess my guess would be from Billiards Digest if you were ever a reader as his columns were fantastic. Bob would be able to add to that list significantly.
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Don't forget his cameo appearance on Ronnie O'Sullivan's "American Hustle" TV show!
 
hell marty i must have known you by sight at least. i used to go during your time to the golden cue and play him. as well as gamble.. as was about your age as well.
many times it would be before or after the racetracks or the bowling action at central lanes.
 
Bob Jewett said:
He must have softened his rules later. I got a cue from him in 1972 and I'm pretty sure he had never heard of me before getting my letter.

My cue was a rosewood butt with a leather wrap and just four MOP diamond inlays at the bottom of the butt. Two shafts with ivory ferrules. $150.
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Do you have any pictures?
 
maha said:
hell marty i must have known you by sight at least. i used to go during your time to the golden cue and play him. as well as gamble.. as was about your age as well.
many times it would be before or after the racetracks or the bowling action at central lanes.
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Did you know a player named Bucky from say the early 70's or so at the golden Cue?
 
I first met George in 1973, just a year before his death, at the Golden Q in Queens, NY. His going rate for a cue was $300 at the time, and several of the players there bought a cue from him. I've been asked by several people over the years why I didn't buy one. I had a very good reason. I was about 15 years old and had a $5 a week allowance at the time, from which I had to buy my school lunches during the school year. For me, $300 was a million miles beyond my financial reach.
 
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sjm said:
I first met George in 1973, just a year before his death at the Golden Q in Queens, NY. His going rate for a cue was $300 at the time, and several of the players there bought a cue from him. I've been asked by several people over the years why I didn't buy one. I had a very good reason. I was about 15 years old and had a $5 a week allowance at the time, from which I had to buy my school lunches during the school year. For me, $300 was a million miles beyond my financial reach.
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1979 in Jersey a guy told me he was buying a Gus Szamboti cue for $360.
I said $360 for a pool cue? Are you nuts and who is Gus Szamboti?
I was playing with a $30 Viking at the time so $360 seemed nuts.
The only upside was he sold me his Palmer window cue and case for $45.
 
sjm said:
I first met George in 1973, just a year before his death at the Golden Q in Queens, NY. His going rate for a cue was $300 at the time, and several of the players there bought a cue from him. I've been asked by several people over the years why I didn't buy one. I had a very good reason. I was about 15 years old and had a $5 a week allowance at the time, from which I had to buy my school lunches during the school year. For me, $300 was a million miles beyond my financial reach.
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In '73 I was partners in a legitimate business and rolling! I was literally making money faster than I could spend it. Of course working seven days a week didn't leave a whole lot of time for spending. The summer I was twelve was a different story though. Working for the family, thirty-five cents an hour. No such thing as overtime either. I made $240 that summer, a lot of days ran 12-15 hours. Come September I had saved $200 of my money and was expected to buy my school clothes. I did, head to toe. No worn out socks, no hand-me-downs either! I dropped a hundred dollars a whole lot quicker than I had made it! Fortunately a lot of the clothes were at wholesale.

I do remember those times of walking back and forth to school, uphill both ways! I remember a school lunch being twenty-five cents too. By coincidence the same twenty-five cents bought a coke and bag of potato chips at the concession stand. That was an easy choice most days!

Hu
 
Bob Jewett said:
I suppose I should correct my story, since I don't have the actual original cue. When I got the cue it was not as heavy as I had asked for, so like the clueless person I was at the time, I sold it to a local NYC transplant and asked George for another, added four more MOP diamonds in the points to the design, and sent him $175. He delivered fairly quickly. The first one actually took a long time but it didn't make any difference to me since I was in Ho Chi Minh City during the wait.
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Vietnam Vet?
 
I bought my first Bushka off Augie Catorrelli (a strong NYC based hustler) in the late 60's for $90. Liked it but was offered $150 and sold it. Bought my next Bushka in Houston in 1969 or 70 for $100. Really liked it but got busted in Dayton in 1974 and sold it for $200. Sad but true. I was a pool playing gambler back then. Could beat all the suckers but ran into a real shark once in a while and got flattened out. I'd start all over again playing a dollar or two a game in the bars. Poolrooms, maybe $5 9-Ball or $10 One Pocket in the early 70's. A $50 set of 9-Ball or $20 One Pocket was real good action back then. If I had $400 in my pocket I was holding good! (y)
 
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measureman said:
1979 in Jersey a guy told me he was buying a Gus Szamboti cue for $360.
I said $360 for a pool cue? Are you nuts and who is Gus Szamboti?
I was playing with a $30 Viking at the time so $360 seemed nuts.
The only upside was he sold me his Palmer window cue and case for $45.
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That sounds about right. Gus made me a cue in 1977 for $320. Very fancy there's a mention of it in the billiard encyclopedia.
 
jay helfert said:
I bought my first Bushka off Augie Donatelli (a strong NYC based hustler) in the late 60's for $90. Liked it but was offered $150 and sold it. Bought my next Bushka in Houston in 1969 or 70 for $100. Really liked it but got busted in Dayton in 1974 and sold it for $200. Sad but true. I was a pool playing gambler back then. Could beat all the suckers but ran into a real shark once in a while and got flattened out. I'd start all over again playing a dollar or two a game in the bars. Poolrooms, maybe $5 9-Ball or $10 One Pocket in the early 70's. A $50 set of 9-Ball or $20 One Pocket was real good action back then. If I had $400 in my pocket I was holding good! (y)
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Is this the same Augie Donatelli who was the short tempered major league baseball umpire?
 
measureman said:
Ho Chi Minh city was the new name for Saigon after South Viet Nam fell to the north.
So he was there after the war.
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Well, yes and no. When I was there it was still called Saigon. I understand that many of the residents still prefer to call it Saigon.
 
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