How much is my older Uni Loc Dale Perry DP custom cue worth?

[mia]

Yes, I know that his ebay cues are of very low quality, and your review is one of the ones that I read in the past. That is the thing that I do not understand. Based on most of the opinions here about the value of my DP cue, my cue is worth even less then I see a lot of newer ebay radial pin jointed cues selling for used. The DP cue that I have is in another league of quality, and playability, and yet, it is just as worthless as any used ebay radial pin cue. Opinions from $50 to $125 on the value of my DP cue, and yet I see used ebay DP cues (with the radial pin) selling for more then $125 at times.

Here's the deal: it doesn't matter when the cue was made or where it was made or how it was made. The bottom line is, it was made by Dale. If this was one of the rare gems he made BEFORE he started mass producing, it wouldn't matter at all. And why? Because Dale's cues don't hold their value. It really is that simple. If he made a few great cues before pumping out thousands of crap cues, it wouldn't matter. His name on the cue makes it worth less. Sad, but true.

So why is everyone here saying "$100-$125" while people on ebay are paying more for his lesser quality cues? Simple. Because people here know more than people on ebay. It really IS that simple. The people buying the crap cues on ebay think they've purchased gold. They don't understand that these newer ebay cues aren't of the best quality. They see 'custom' and cheap prices and think they've got the goods. Meanwhile, the people HERE know better, thus the reason they DON'T buy DP's newer cues. If you want to hear that the cue is worth more, go ask some of the crowd that buys the ebay cues. Tell them "This is a super old, rare, QUALITY DP cue. Better than the ones he makes now." See what they say. Maybe they'll think its a diamond and offer you more money.

 

[BmoreMoney]

Sorry guys, this is a little unrelated to topic but figured it was worth saying. I have seen a lot of " newbie's " asking about cues / equipment so just wanted to throw this out there. I am putting this out there for anyone looking for a cheap but well playing cue. Over the years I have owned dozens and dozens of diff cues and I can say honestly with the exception of an old Tim Scruggs Sneaky Pete, the Dale Perry S/P I had ( I believe it was an older one ) was absolutely the the best hitting cue I ever played with. I paid $40 for it. Well I busted a guy out of all of his cheese and played one final set for his cue ( the DP S/P against my $40 ) I won and played with it for a few years. I've had one other DP and it played just as good. Don't get caught up in the one of one BS - thats a marketing thing that I totally dont agree with but none the less these cues play great I think. I hear u can purchase new relatively cheap but I never have but I do know y can purchase on the very cheap used and urge anyone looking for a cheap player to give them a try. This post was def unsolicited but if D/P would like to send me some Jelly go right ahead! Lol!

 

[cuesblues]

Sorry guys, this is a little unrelated to topic but figured it was worth saying. I have seen a lot of " newbie's " asking about cues / equipment so just wanted to throw this out there. I am putting this out there for anyone looking for a cheap but well playing cue. Over the years I have owned dozens and dozens of diff cues and I can say honestly with the exception of an old Tim Scruggs Sneaky Pete, the Dale Perry S/P I had ( I believe it was an older one ) was absolutely the the best hitting cue I ever played with. I paid $40 for it. Well I busted a guy out of all of his cheese and played one final set for his cue ( the DP S/P against my $40 ) I won and played with it for a few years. I've had one other DP and it played just as good. Don't get caught up in the one of one BS - thats a marketing thing that I totally dont agree with but none the less these cues play great I think. I hear u can purchase new relatively cheap but I never have but I do know y can purchase on the very cheap used and urge anyone looking for a cheap player to give them a try. This post was def unsolicited but if D/P would like to send me some Jelly go right ahead! Lol!

I also had an old Dale Perry sneaky pete several years ago, the only one I've seen (1 of 1 & COA :smile: )
The DP was one of the nicest looking sneakies I've seen, and I traded it for a 1st catalog No. 9 Palmer with a kid that wanted a good-modern playing cue.
I don't remember, but it may of been a short spliced cue that looked like a sneaky, similar to the way Bob Runde does it.

 

[hang-the-9]

So just because DP started building junky cues, any of his older quality custom cues are worth just as little as any used DP cue that has been made up until today? That just makes no sense to me. If what you all are saying is true about the value of the cue, then I guess I was very foolish for paying $200 for it very recently.

If you paid $200 for it to use it, it's probably a normal price for his older cues. If you wanted to make money off it, not so much.

 

[GoBilliards]

The odds of a cue like this with no venner and no ring work having Ivory inlays is nearly "0". There are lots of things that look similar to Ivory and have grain, especially to the untrained eye. It is likely holly.


That being said, If you like the cue, keep it. What does resale value have to do with anything?

 

[JohnPT]

$85 would be fair. $125 would be top dollar for this cue. Certificate of Authenticity is 50 cents more.

 

[prewarhero]

There are exceptions- I had an EBAY (yes ebay), although it was one of his very early ebay cues and they were nicer then today's ebay cues, a purple heart and ebony wrapless cue that I bought for $350. I sold it for a little more than that and would gladly GLADLY pay $350 for it agian today if I could find it.

I also have a friend that has an early DP that he paid $3000 that I have offered him $800 for and he won't sell it.

 

[iusedtoberich]

To the OP, how do you know the cue was an old one, before the ebay days? I'm no expert on DP, but it looks just like his modern ebay cues to me, with the stain and heavily rounded inlays.

Regardless, you bought a used cue, that you like, and for a fair price. I think you did just fine.

 

[poolguy4u]

Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reading comments on this forum is like reading comic books.

:rotflmao1:

:lol:

:lmao:


Still being debated after six weeks....:yeah:


People believe everything as long as it's on the internet.

 

[phil dade]

closure

I see this thread has picked up and some would like it closed. Justin, this should give you closure. In 95-96, DP had received some favorable write ups, making custom cues. I moved to a town near Jacksonville, his shop is in a suburb. I went to his shop and ordered an fully loaded, ebony, ivory and snake wood cue. It was truly a 1/1, but in my opinion, a sub par cue. The inlays were not crisp, and I took the shafts back twice because he could not get the taper right. As it turned out, I had my guests use it.

Realize this was before he destroyed his name, I paid $2500 and recently GAVE the cue to a friend on AZ as a donation to be raffled to raise money for his friend who needed help. I felt much better doing this than selling it for the values described in this thread, which by the way, are accurate. While if someone actually saw my cue, you could clearly see it was not a cheap cue, the DP name would have killed any and all interest based on everything I have read.

As other members have said, it you like the feel, keep it and play with it. There is no such thing as an investment grade DP, unless you are looking for a tax loss.

all the best,
Phil

 

[justinb386]

The only reason I thought it was an older DP cue is because the Uni Loc joint (which I have never seen on any of his ebay auctions, ever since he started selling his cues on ebay, like 10 or more years ago?), and also because the inlays appear to be ivory, and the person I purchased it from told me that he knew for a fact that it was one of his older cues. I know now that the cue is probably not worth more then a $100, so I may have paid way too much for it, but it is a really nice hitting cue (in my opinion). I do not think I could find a better cue for the price I might be able to sell this one for. By the way, I have seen holly inlays before (on Joss cues that I have had in the past), so I am sure that the inlays are not holly. I also do not think the inlays are ivorine either (ivorine inlays look different than what ever is in this DP cue). I heard that the value of ivory might sky rocket within the next 5 years (if ivory becomes completely illegal for cue makers to use in their cues), so maybe the cue will be worth some money some day if the inlays really are ivory.

To the OP, how do you know the cue was an old one, before the ebay days? I'm no expert on DP, but it looks just like his modern ebay cues to me, with the stain and heavily rounded inlays.

Regardless, you bought a used cue, that you like, and for a fair price. I think you did just fine.

 

[Menelaus10]

We may be in the same boat, I purchased an older DP cue with the Uni lock joint years ago. The cue is absolutly beautiful, Ebony forearm with 6 fruitwood points all contaning Ivory spears, and a butt section that mirrors the forearm. The workmanship is impeccable, the shafts are straight and give good feed back. The Blue Book of cues price it at around $1,500, problem is no one wants them. Apparently the new ones are junk and the name brand has taken the hit. If you like yours like I like mine, keep it and enjoy it, if not sell it cheap and never look back. life is to short.

 

[peteypooldude]

So the DP at the bottom of the cue is the only think that is killing the true value of the cue? The points are not sharp, and it looks like a DP cue I think, so I am not sure I would be able to fool anyone by scratching off the DP logo, and I would never do that anyways. I do not want to cheat anyone. Just wanted to know what the cue is worth, but I guess it is only worth as much as a person is willing to pay for it. It seems like there is no market for older Dale Perry cues, and it seems they are only worth about the same as the ebay cues that he has made for the last 10 years or however long he has been doing the ebay thing and mass producing his cues. Thanks for your replies. It sounds like there is a lot of hate for Dale Perry on here.

I've got 3 DPs . One is old and the others are about 3 years old and perfect. Play with the cue and you'll never be sorry about buying it. I wouldn't take 200 for any of mine

 

[jaetee]

The story of Dale Perry cues should serve as a case study in mass production gone wrong...

I know a guy who has a nice made DP custom... he had the cue made with a matching piece of wood from the same tiger stripe maple wood stock which adorns the top/sides of my pool table at home. He told me when we were doing the pool table deal that he paid $3k to have it made "back when he had money." He was very proud of the cue and has no intent to sell it as it is somewhat of a tribute to the table he no longer has (it's at my house). I did not have the heart to tell him about the DP cues on ebay. I did hit with it and it was a nice hitting cue. I would have been happy to have it as a player.

Personally, I think you should probably just find some redeeming factors about that cue (which it sounds like you have) and keep it for the long haul. It seems to be worth more to you than what the open market will likely ever bring for it...

You could list it on ebay as a "pre sell-out" DP cue and see what happens...?

It's unfortunate that Dale Perry sold out the way he did and his name is now associated with cues that amount to glorified kindling.