Ivory Pool Ball?????

magnetardo said:
... were numbered balls ever made out of ivory?
Click to expand...
Yes, I think that's what the OP was talking about. I've seen a full set go by on eBay for about $5500. The surface was dyed to get the color and the numbers were scrimshawed (engraved) into the surface.
 
Can you weigh a cue ball to test if it is ivory? I would imagine that if both cue balls are the same size, there would be a weight difference if one is ivory or phenolic.
 
chiefseabee said:
When I was stationed in Togo Africa we would hold suspect items over a lighter. Ivory won't burn. Pull a bic out and a fruadelent peddler would run away.
Click to expand...


Ivory will definatly burn. In 1989 Kenya burned 10 tons of elephant tusks to deter poachers.
 
Hi Bob,
I have an old and yellowing cue ball that has numerous "spider veins" that someone told me are tiny bloood vessels that exist in elephant tusks.

They are intermitent and not a "grain pattern" like wood grain, for example. More like they are "sprinkled" around the surface.

Is that ivory or is someone jerking my chain?

Thanks!

Jim
 
Bob Jewett said:
A real ivory pool ball will look very, very different from any pool ball you have seen in a pool hall. It is almost certain to have a lot of hair-line cracks with chalk in them. If the ball has numbers, they will likely be engraved. If the ball has color left, it will likely be faded and spotty.

Towards the end of his life, Willie signed many, many plastic pool balls. If he had signed any ivory ball, it almost certainly would come in its own hardwood and glass box. Unsigned ivory pool balls sell for about $300 each, and a set is $5000 to $10,000.

It's possible that Willie signed some clay balls, which also look different from any modern ball, but they are only worth about $5-$10 each, even in pretty good condition. They may also have lots of cracks, but with very different patterns from ivory. Some very fancy clay balls sell for over $100 each, but they are not common.
Click to expand...

Here is an example of an old ivory cue ball fgiven to me by the late Eddie Taylor.
 

Attachments

  • azcueball.jpg
    azcueball.jpg
    22.6 KB · Views: 556
Kelly_Guy said:
Here is a pic of an ivory ball from ebay. It even shows the black spot I mentioned that I believe was the ending point of the nerve cavity.
Kelly

ivorycueball.jpg
Click to expand...

Do all ivory cue balls have that dot? That would answer the question of why the manufacturers started putting dots on cueballs.

Fred
 
Cornerman said:
Do all ivory cue balls have that dot? That would answer the question of why the manufacturers started putting dots on cueballs.

Fred
Click to expand...
Not exactly. While all ivory balls I've seen do have a very small black spot (actually two spots at the "poles"), which is said to be the "nerve canal", the pictured spot (especially on Jack's ball) is probably an inlayed black dot for the spotted ball at billiards. I think those spots were subject to falling out or chipping.
 
Everything Bob Jewett said is right. Also, modern phenolic pool balls turn yellow after being exposed to years of uv/sunlight so many people think they have ivory due to the discoloration. Many times bone nameplates on antique cues are mistaken for ivory, but balls were not made of bone for many reasons including light weight, breakage, and lack of bones large enough to make balls from. Look for cracks in ivory and the red hot needle test works too.
 
help said:
Can anyone tell me how to tell if a ball is ivory? I have a 13 ball signed by Willie Mosconi that a friend says is ivory. He's a nice guy but can't always put allot of faith in what he says..
Click to expand...

If there is an elephant attached to it, it is probably ivory.:rolleyes:

Jim
 
zeeder said:
Just out of curiosity, and for future reference, what is the most obscure part of a sphere?

Z :D :p
Click to expand...
Boy, you've gotta just spell it out sometimes. The most obscure part of a sphere is the nearest point which is occluded from view, on the opposite side from the viewer's direction of movement.

In case this is not clear enough, imagine you are looking at the globe. You can see the Continental US but not Hawaii (barely). You are walking to the right or eastward. The most obscure part of this sphere is Hawaii because you will see every part of the world before you get to see Hawaii as you keep walking.

This brings up an interesting point. In fact, Hawaii's volcanos are not volcanos at all. They are actually the result of an alien laser. The aliens were testing the Earth to see whether it was composed of Snardlack Tooth (commonly used about 10 million years ago to make many Infinite Cushion Billiards balls), and moving eastward over the US at the time. Since the resulting smell was that of sulfer and not that of hair, the aliens moved on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top