Helmstetter mystery I need help with.

DrClaw

The Drowning Fish
I bought this cue today and I was wondering if someone here may be able to answer a few questions about it. The first thing is it's the best hitting cue I have ever held in my hands which is why I bought it (for $425.00). It has very impressive five veneer points with nice looking rings throughout. Here is what I know and what I would like to find out.

What I know:
The person I purchased from is the original owner who says he bought it in 1984.
There is no name on the butt sleeve and there is a Helmstetter sticker that seems to be lifting slightly under the finish (maybe from age)?
The butt cap seems to be riveted on rather than screwed or friction fit.
All the inlays are hand done but there is some sloppy work on the white substance on the inside of the points. Other than this, the work is flawless.

What I would like to know:
I'm pretty sure this is a production model because it isn't hand signed. Any way to find out the model number?
Is this an Adam or other non-Helmstetter that got slapped with a Helmstetter sticker?
Is there a way to determine the production date or an approximation?
Is the butt or any other white substances on this cue ivory?

Here are the pics. I apologize for the lack of detail. The only camera I own is my cellphone :( The white lines in pics 1 and 2 are glare from the light source. Thank you for checking this out for me. I sure you guys will know a lot more about this cue than I do.

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Very nice! It is a model 86-15 from the Helmstetter line of cues produced by The Adam Cue Co. circa mid eighties. no ivory. original msrp was + or - $800.
 
Very nice! It is a model 86-15 from the Helmstetter line of cues produced by The Adam Cue Co. circa mid eighties. no ivory. original msrp was + or - $800.

Thank you for the info! Do you think $425 was a fair price for the cue? The owner wanted $550 but I was able to talk him down a bit.

Also, would it worth it to try to get the faux-ivory on the points cleaned up a bit and maybe the Helmstetter sticker "restuck"?

EDIT: Well this is interesting... After getting the model number, I looked it up online and found an Adam cue with the same number and design.

http://homepage2.nifty.com/sig-naturematerial/cue/86-15syousai.html

I don't know how reliable this site is, but I remember hearing something about The Adam Cue Company having a factory in Japan? The plot thickens :)
 
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