I'm sure I'm going to get flamed a little or lot for this one, but just curious to what my other cue junkies have to say about this. Couple of nights ago a guy who is enamored with a particular southern cue builder showed me a very ornate cue and told me it was worth $3500 and went on and on about how ivory was illegal and the abalone alone in this cue is worth around $900. I usually just listen and say "nice cue" and go on about my night. For some reason I kinda snapped and was kind of rough on this guy and tried to explain to this guy that this cue maker is famous for telling you that his cues are worth a big number and then sells it to you for a fraction of that price, so the true value is very hard to determine. This particular builder sells tons of cues and is very successful in his business. Nothing wrong with making and selling a lot of cues, just seems difficult to claim that even the really big ones can command big money. When you can order a cue from almost every online retailer at deep discounts, just doesn't translate to the cues having much collectable value in my opinion. There are a ton of newer cue makers out there now and I honestly think most of them build a decent cue, but I think very few of them can command "real" money consistently for their work. Your thoughts?
High Volume Custom Builders percieved values
- Thread starter pathman
- Start date
I don't see why you would get negative comments. You seem to have good opinions about factors that affect value. Cues are not generally good investments IMO, a cue is worth what you are willing to pay for it. If the cue market does not go your way, you won't be disappointed.
This part confused me a little...I doubt many folks have more abalone in their cue than I do, and I was told that the cost of the abalone in mine was about $200...for comparison, it's a large wedge in the butt, with Mosconi Balabushka inlays in the points. For all I know, $200 might be a rather high retail estimate, but I really don't know. I'm constantly amazed at how some guys describe the value in their cues, whipping out huge numbers on how much the ivory or whatever in their cue supposedly cost.
on and on about how ivory was illegal
that's enough right there to know he's full of shit
Was it a 1of1? Dealers carry those for 2-3k
This part confused me a little...I doubt many folks have more abalone in their cue than I do, and I was told that the cost of the abalone in mine was about $200...for comparison, it's a large wedge in the butt, with Mosconi Balabushka inlays in the points. For all I know, $200 might be a rather high retail estimate, but I really don't know. I'm constantly amazed at how some guys describe the value in their cues, whipping out huge numbers on how much the ivory or whatever in their cue supposedly cost.
Yeah, this is a new thing to me too, I've never seen abalone cost that much, I've seen A+++ grade abalone sheets that sell for a couple hundred or so, but in the last year I had a very prominent cue-builder tell me the sheet of abalone he used on my cue set him back $1200, I dunno, I'm not a cue-builder, just seems ridiculous to me. I've had other builders tell me this was just simply not believable.
I'm sure it was a 1of1, but this guy pumps out a ton of 1of1 cues every year to go along with the two or three hundred basic models.
Three years ago I was at a booth at SBE run by a "custom" builder from Florida who sells thousands of cues. A guy come in with a custom model with the pin blown out at the butt. I can see it's a clean but diagonal break right along the grain.
The builder starts telling off his customer that it was abuse and then blames that photo of Charlie Williams bending his cue on break as the source of cue abuse. Bull$#!+. I don't know cue turning but 40 years ago I worked at cabinetmaking. There's no way a pin should have been set in that end. It was a fracture waiting to happen. You could see the grain twist. His value, worthless.
The builder starts telling off his customer that it was abuse and then blames that photo of Charlie Williams bending his cue on break as the source of cue abuse. Bull$#!+. I don't know cue turning but 40 years ago I worked at cabinetmaking. There's no way a pin should have been set in that end. It was a fracture waiting to happen. You could see the grain twist. His value, worthless.
People buy a used cue thinking they got it at a better price than the cue was really worth. Someone orders a new cue and as soon as they get their cue,
they start believing the value just went up......everyone owns a cue more valuable than the market will confirm it to be......that's just how pool cue owners
feel and believe about the cues they own.
The truth is unless there's "demand" for that cue-maker and it's accompanied by a "scarcity or shortage" of cues by that same cue-maker, it isn't likely the
cue value would be retained, let alone appreciate in price. Pool players bullshit about their cues and misjudge cue values all the time......sounds like the OP
ran into just such a person.
Matt B.
they start believing the value just went up......everyone owns a cue more valuable than the market will confirm it to be......that's just how pool cue owners
feel and believe about the cues they own.
The truth is unless there's "demand" for that cue-maker and it's accompanied by a "scarcity or shortage" of cues by that same cue-maker, it isn't likely the
cue value would be retained, let alone appreciate in price. Pool players bullshit about their cues and misjudge cue values all the time......sounds like the OP
ran into just such a person.
Matt B.
Yeah cues are not a good investment at all I had Mike gulyassy make me a cue ebony and with ambonia burl points set me back 1500.00, couple of years ago I had to sell my cues needed the money for baby stuff, I live in Dallas so I went to omega billiards thinking these guys deal with cues and would see the value and give me a pretty good deal well I got a reality check I sold 2 cues that day my custom gulyassy and a nice joss and walked away with 300.00 bucks.
No way
That's not a reality check that's a straight up f--kin they gave you.
Sorry to tell you that but it's the truth.
That's not a reality check that's a straight up f--kin they gave you.
Sorry to tell you that but it's the truth.
Now to be fair......I have only bought and sold 8 custom pool cues to get to where I am now with my small collection. This is over a span of 15 years and probably 5 of these 8 sales were within the last 5 years and my most recent sale was last year. Having said that, I never lost any money on any cue sale, except for perhaps throwing in the cost of some custom joint protectors one time......but only once.
You don't have to lose any money if and when you buy right. But you had better have a good command of cue values and current market conditions or you will definitely get burned and undoubtedly overpay for the pool cue you want. Every seller overprices their cue with the expectation the buyer expects a discount of some sort.....that's why it's referred to as retail price, or list price, or asking price.....and every buyer thinks they should get a better price for cash when no cue swap is involved.....probably thinking 20-30% off which is unrealistic unless the seller way has overpriced the cue in question.
The bottom-line is do your homework, be a smart buyer, know what you want and only buy that, and make sure the cue is in great condition and remains that way.........you should do just fine as I have always done with every cue I owned and sold.
Matt B.
You don't have to lose any money if and when you buy right. But you had better have a good command of cue values and current market conditions or you will definitely get burned and undoubtedly overpay for the pool cue you want. Every seller overprices their cue with the expectation the buyer expects a discount of some sort.....that's why it's referred to as retail price, or list price, or asking price.....and every buyer thinks they should get a better price for cash when no cue swap is involved.....probably thinking 20-30% off which is unrealistic unless the seller way has overpriced the cue in question.
The bottom-line is do your homework, be a smart buyer, know what you want and only buy that, and make sure the cue is in great condition and remains that way.........you should do just fine as I have always done with every cue I owned and sold.
Matt B.
Yeah I know I got f**ked. I should have sold it on az but that was before I found out about this site. I see guys buying cues on here for a certain amount and then in a few days posting it back on here for way more than they paid for it .