Historical marquetry cues help!

yally

yally

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
FB marketplace find of the day! All the wood butt wedges are there and one still has a special stuff wedge. There’s a stamp H.NIGHTINGALE on 3 of the wedges. No shafts. Any historical experts out there? This the real deal?

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Maybe?

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There used to be a web site dedicated to them. I don't remember the name.

I don't know enough to say much except they are probably fakes and I will take them off your hands for $50 because I am a nice guy. :)
 
Chopdoc said:
There used to be a web site dedicated to them. I don't remember the name.

I don't know enough to say much except they are probably fakes and I will take them off your hands for $50 because I am a nice guy. :)
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And they've been chopped too, Even more sad. If there are real, any historical significance, would be lost.
Some had a mace on the other end, some had tips. Could be french, english who knows.
 
Cue Alchemist said:
And they've been chopped too, Even more sad. If there are real, any historical significance, would be lost.
Some had a mace on the other end, some had tips. Could be french, english who knows.
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To an extent yes, originality is lost, as is historic value.

But restoration is not out of the question. They could be spliced with shafts, or even made into a two piece. I have seen very nice examples.

I did a quick search and found this two piece. LINK
 
Chopdoc said:
To an extent yes, originality is lost, as is historic value.

But restoration is not out of the question. They could be spliced with shafts, or even made into a two piece. I have seen very nice examples.

I did a quick search and found this two piece. LINK
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With that kind of restoration would you call that? If its not completely original?

I just don't know why you would cut those. And one of them i can understand.
But Your the expert, they certainly look old.
 
Even if they were knock offs, the skill it would take to do so would still make them desirable. I'm no expert of even a novice at that type of cue but my gut feeling is they are probably legit.

Even if they were a copied design or something it's just not something anyone can do. It took real artistry/craftsmanship to make them.
 
Cue Alchemist said:
With that kind of restoration would you call that? If its not completely original?

I just don't know why you would cut those. And one of them i can understand.
But Your the expert, they certainly look old.
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No expert.

They have already been cut. I wouldn't cut them.

I wouldn't throw them away. And personally, I would prefer not to leave them in their current state.
 
Chopdoc said:
There used to be a web site dedicated to them. I don't remember the name.

I don't know enough to say much except they are probably fakes and I will take them off your hands for $50 because I am a nice guy. :)
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Ha! Tempting, and I'll keep it in mind. 😂

Cue Alchemist said:
With that kind of restoration would you call that? If its not completely original?

I just don't know why you would cut those. And one of them i can understand.
But Your the expert, they certainly look old.
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No clue why these were cut. The lady I purchased from said it belong to her father. Couldn't get any other details. I do agree these could possibly be used as blanks considering how thick the lower butt is.

SSDiver2112 said:
Are you saying you bought them? Post pictures when you get the if you did.

Being chopped you could possibly make conversions if the specs are good.

Search around here to see if there is something similar.

Antique Billiard Tables, Accessories, Collectibles and Cues Website

Antique billiard and pool tables, Victorian furniture and lighting, Brunswick, cues, racks, and much more!
www.billiard-antiques.com
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I did buy them! That's my kitchen counter in the pics. Haha. The seller just let them go for a song to clean out her house. 😳

boogieman said:
Even if they were knock offs, the skill it would take to do so would still make them desirable. I'm no expert of even a novice at that type of cue but my gut feeling is they are probably legit.

Even if they were a copied design or something it's just not something anyone can do. It took real artistry/craftsmanship to make them.
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At this point, I think they're legit. The one wedge with special stuff is definitely real. You can see the striations in the material. Also, they're not perfect, you can see some minor cracks around the zillion inlays.

Chopdoc said:
No expert.

They have already been cut. I wouldn't cut them.

I wouldn't throw them away. And personally, I would prefer not to leave them in their current state.
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Agreed. They'll make great decor in my billiard room, but it's tempting to have them redone. Might consider posting in the for sale section. Could be a good pickup for a cuemaker wanting to work off of essentially blanks.
 
Historically it’s a shame they were chopped, but there’s no turning back time. They are what they are now so they can be displayed as is or have them rejuvenated into a new cue and live for another hundred years.

I just got an old Titlist that was chopped. I am turning it into a new modern player.

You have a wonderful find. Good luck with them.
 
yally said:
Also, they're not perfect, you can see some minor cracks around the zillion inlays.
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That would be expected for cues that old and not stored with museum quality climate control. It's natural materials (even the glue) and time has a way with stuff. Wood dries, shrinks and expands.

I have a rocking chair I picked up for $15 that needs the legs re-glued that has similar inlays in the back. It's not perfect, but that's because it's hand done and not cnc inlays. It adds to the charm. I have to do some more studying on how to properly glue up the legs... future project. I'm not ready for the rocking chair quite yet! :)

You definitely have some neat historical cues. No idea if they are valuable in their current state, but they sure are a cool thing to look at. There was some real work that went into those.

Even though the butt is thick, I doubt you could do any turning on them with a lathe as the inlays are most likely quite thin. Someone could probably match a shaft to them, or someone talented could splice a shaft onto them. Look through those sites that were posted in the thread already, some of them have different woods like ebony or mahogany spliced into the shafts. Some of the splicing is quite intricate like a butterfly cue. That would probably be the route I would go, however something about putting a modern shaft on them tickles my brain in a good way. It would be absolutely historically wrong, and I'm sure some would tar and feather me for even suggesting it, but it sure would be a unique playing cue.

By the way, thanks for posting these, we really enjoy seeing this type of thing!
 
I think the best chance you have is to have them cleaned up, and a shaft installed permanently. Doweled, glued and then turned. If they are straight, these cues tend to not be too straight most of the time. You cannot cut them with a tool because the inlays are thin, and you could rip out the inlays if you aren't careful.

JV
 
Here is a one piece and a two piece marquetry cue. IMHO the two piece was done by Brunswick or other older maker as a modification. The reason I think that is I have not seen any other two piece marquetry cues. Of course this is not something I normally look for, but it is unique in that respect.
JV
 

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