Thanks. I consider myself the steward more than the owner. Since it sold cheap, I also might have rescued it from some banger and a life of misery and destruction.
A little more interesting history relevant to my claim that mine is a 1975 and not a 1976:
I do believe it is a 1975, not a 1976. Officially the McDermott brand began in 1975, but Jim McDermott made numerous cues before then. I have examined exactly one cue before 1975 that was claimed to be his work from 1972. I have no way of knowing if that was actually a McDermott or not. It had no features of a McDermott and in my view had many features of an Adam cue. In the late 1960s, Jim met master cue maker Rollie Welch and worked with him for several years learning cue making, culminating in the first McDermott brand cues in 1975. It is possible he used some Adam parts to build a cue before launching the McDermott brand. I just don't know. He did use Viking parts in at least the first two McDermott branded cues.
In 1975 he started the brand and labeled the cues. I have spoken to a man that grew up next door to Jim McDermott and am still in touch with him occasionally. We talked a number of times on the phone. He had seen my posts on AZB. He and his father had the first and second McDermott cues ever made. The first one is lost to history and several years ago he had the second one for sale which I posted pics of in this thread. It's an amazing window cue that looks more like a very fancy Viking of the time with vinyl veneers because it was built with Viking parts as many cues were at the time. Incidentally, the original owner said the cue was made in 1974, before the known first series of McDermott cues we all know so well.
I recently ran across that cue in the background of a sale on eBay, so I figure the seller bought it. The price started at $12k, then when I last communicated with the seller about it, it was down to $8K. Apparently it did sell, but I don't know for how much, but I am confident it was not cheap.
What is interesting is that the picture I found has a green MR2 A2 right next to it. The difference is the wrap. After examining (and buying) a number of early McDermotts it seems to me the wrap changed. These cues were made in 75/76. I believe the earlier cues have a wrap like mine, and the later cues have a wrap like the cue I am about to picture. It is shiny like nylon, orlon, rayon, or something like that. My wrap is softer and not shiny, more like a cotton blend but not like linen.
Incidentally, this early "A" series construction was the mainstay of McDermott construction, including the weight bolts and bumpers, for the A,B,C,D, and E series cues and transitioned in the EK series. Early EK series have the old weight bolt and bumper, while later ones have the later weight bolt and bumper.
This is a cropped version of the picture I found. The second McDermott ever made is on the left, and the 1976 version of the same cue as mine is on the right.
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I do not claim to be an expert. It's just my considered opinion after examining numerous cues as well as pictures of cues that mine is a 1975.
Could I be wrong about the year of my cue? Absolutely. I could always be wrong.
I love sharing all this and discussing it with people that are interested.
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