Sold Jack Colavita Balabushka Cue w/ Whitten Case

[Kickin' Chicken]

As the title says, up for sale is former multiple times champion Jack Colavita's Balabushka cue. The cue features a Burton Spain blank with beautiful veneers and ebony points. There is a rectangle pearl box inlay in the ebony butt sleeve and what appears to be the original Cortland white with green speck linen wrap. Black 1 x 4 Whitten case is included in sale.

Cue is straight and sound with beautiful patina and just back from Pete Tascarella whose letter can be seen in the attached pictures. Cue specs are contained in Pete's letter, as well.

Here's your chance to own a very special Balabushka owned by a legendary player.

Price is $SOLD obo and will include insured shipping anywhere in CONUS.

Thanks for having a look.

best,
brian kc

 

[xX-Wizard-Xx]

Nice cue .. GLWS

 

[RingKing]

Sweet cue. GLWS

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Thanks for the kind words and likes.

let's get her sold.

 

[Chili Palmer]

 

[ideologist]

As the title says, up for sale is former multiple times champion Jack Colavita's Balabushka cue. The cue features a Burton Spain blank with beautiful veneers and ebony points. There is a rectangle pearl box inlay in the ebony butt sleeve and what appears to be the original Cortland white with green speck linen wrap. Black 1 x 4 Whitten case is included in sale.

Cue is straight and sound with beautiful patina and just back from Pete Tascarella whose letter can be seen in the attached pictures. Cue specs are contained in Pete's letter, as well.

Here's your chance to own a very special Balabushka owned by a legendary player.

Price is $10,450 obo and will include insured shipping anywhere in CONUS.

Thanks for having a look.

best,
brian kc

Is there any provenance on the cue being Jack's?

 

[measureman]

I saw Jack play many times in N.J. in the early '60's and he might have used that cue, but I certainly cant be sure.

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Is there any provenance on the cue being Jack's?

Hi Patrick

There is no specific documentation, just the spoken words of previous owners/collectors.

Guys who knew Jack said it was his and to my mind the case is supportive of that. Of course, anyone could have gotten an old Whitten with patina in that non typical 1 x 4 configuration (great for straight pool and 1p) and put a "Jack Colavita Bushka" badge on, but why? Not exactly a big value adder.

For value considerations I think any prospective buyer can simply look at this as a really nice Bushka Burton Spain blank example and beyond that, draw their conclusions.

best,
brian kc

 

[ideologist]

Hi Patrick

There is no specific documentation, just the spoken words of previous owners/collectors.

Guys who knew him said it was his and to my mind the case is supportive. Of course, anyone could have got an old Whitten with patina in that non typical 1 x 4 configuration (great for straight pool and 1p) and put a "Jack Colavita Bushka" badge on, but why? Not exactly a big value adder.

For value considerations I think any prospective buyer can look at this as a really nice Bushka Burton Spain blank example and beyond that, draw their conclusions.

best,
brian kc

I wasn't trying to nitpick. I regretfully sold the Colavita Paradise a while back (in a very similar Whitten with nameplate) and paperwork would just put it over the top. Great cue, I'm in love.

 

[Duane Remick]

I wasn't trying to nitpick. I regretfully sold the Colavita Paradise a while back (in a very similar Whitten with nameplate) and paperwork would just put it over the top. Great cue, I'm in love.

ABSOLUTELY !
What a nice cue
GLWS

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

I wasn't trying to nitpick. I regretfully sold the Colavita Paradise a while back (in a very similar Whitten with nameplate) and paperwork would just put it over the top. Great cue, I'm in love.

I was just about to respond to measureman To say That I've heardJack was known to play Richard black Palmer and paradise cues as well

Thanks for the information on the jColavita paradise Q in the similar Whitten case and badge as that pushes the needle a little bit also

 

[mikemosconi]

In the late 80s and early 90s Jack Colavita was playing with a Richard Black Cue. I met him at the 1989 U.S. Open 14.1 in Chicago, and he told me he was playing with a Richard Black at that time. There was an Accustat video of his match against Ray Martin from the event where you can see his cue. Jack wrote his name and phone for me on this attached card with the time that he got home from work each day when he would be available to talk - 4:30 to 5 PM- after that it was dinner with his family and then pool.
No doubt his earlier cues would have been along the lines of Bushka, Palmer, Paradise, etc. Jack lived in NJ.

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

From Gian Calise (az member Drawman623) FB post today:

"I played some with Jack’s cue at Crown in New London. It makes the Balanushka “ring” sound when hitting balls. Superb in all the right ways. GLWS"

 

[mikemosconi]

From Gian Calise (az member Drawman623) FB post today:

"I played some with Jack’s cue at Crown in New London. It makes the Balanushka “ring” sound when hitting balls. Superb in all the right ways. GLWS"

Lots of pool history at that Crown Billiards, I think Mike Eufemia went down for the count via heart attack right at one of the tables there.

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Lots of pool history at that Crown Billiards, I think Mike Eufemia went down for the count via heart attack right at one of the tables there.

You are correct, sir.

Mike Eufemia was in an action match and a good friend of mine who witnessed it told me that Mike went down hard and when his head hit the ground it made a sickening thud. Unfortunately Mike's wife was there she went running over to him along with the room owner's wife but it was too late. What a scene that had to be.

Many feel that Mike Eufemia was the only one to break Willie's 526.

best,
brian kc

 

[whiteoak]

As the title says, up for sale is former multiple times champion Jack Colavita's Balabushka cue. The cue features a Burton Spain blank with beautiful veneers and ebony points. There is a rectangle pearl box inlay in the ebony butt sleeve and what appears to be the original Cortland white with green speck linen wrap. Black 1 x 4 Whitten case is included in sale.

Cue is straight and sound with beautiful patina and just back from Pete Tascarella whose letter can be seen in the attached pictures. Cue specs are contained in Pete's letter, as well.

Here's your chance to own a very special Balabushka owned by a legendary player.

Price is $10,450 obo and will include insured shipping anywhere in CONUS.

Thanks for having a look.

best,
brian kc

WOW!! Wowx2!! GLWS. Incredible cue

 

[PoolTableMagic]

Brian... You were asked for Provenance, so why not share Jack's Bushka came from the Kulungian Collection.
Give Mark a call and he will answer any questions.

Regarding the LOGO Case.... You ask " but why ?" ...... Obvious simple answer is keep organized several hundred cues in my collection. Both cases, "BUSHKA" and "PARADISE", I ordered in January 2001. Question now is "where are the 2 Tascarella shafts that were with Jack's Bushka ?"

Sometimes having limited knowledge or not "going the distance" to get complete & accurate information prior to posting can create problems. My objective is to clarify any doubts regarding authenticity this is Jack Colavita's Balabushka cue and the purpose for Special Cue Cases.

P.S. On another note..... Mike Eufemia died of a sudden heart attack while playing an "Exhibition Match" with my close personal friend Bob Hayward.

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Brian ( Chicken-Kickin):

Our call consisted of you ranting and raving, shouting and swearing. When I would begin to answer a question, you got louder and over-talked me... which is exactly what a child does when he gets caught doing something wrong.

The equivalent of over-talking someone on the computer is deleting messages, which is exactly what you did, or had an Admin do it for you. You deleted Duane Remick's post, most likely because he complimented me or because he copied the original post or for both reasons.... Your efforts to eliminate pertinent information contradicts your self-proclamation you are honest, accurate, and transparent.

For full proof of your intent just look at Post #8. You, the seller, cannot positively say this was Jack Colavita's cue with the information you had when you wrote that. Knowing you could not definitely say this was Jack's cue.... You did so anyways. You did not say this was "possibly" Jack Colavita's cue. Your claims of provenance are unnamed sources that cannot be checked, so they cannot be questioned. When called out on it, you basically say, "It doesn't matter, it's a nice Burton Spain example and the buyer can draw his own conclusions." Does this sound honest, accurate, or transparent to you ? The implication here is if you buy this cue and it is not Jack's, you're stuck with it because you really don't know. So when I say, you DON'T do your Due Diligence, you have already proven my point.

For the sake of the possible buyer, and make sure nothing is lost on this cue: YES, I had the case made. Yes, this was Jack Colavita's cue. YES, I owned it previously and purchased it thru a friend of Jack's, 30 plus years ago, with Jack's blessings. This cue was published in INSIDE POOL magazine October 2002, page 48, 5th cue from the top featuring a few of my Balabushka cues.

There are an awful lot of people in the industry who avoid you like the plague and with good reason.

Inviting yourself on this thread beating your chest provides a lot of insight into who you are

Stop being such a tool

 

[Bob Farr]

Brian ( Chicken-Kickin):

Our call consisted of you ranting and raving, shouting and swearing. When I would begin to answer a question, you got louder and over-talked me... which is exactly what a child does when he gets caught doing something wrong.

The equivalent of over-talking someone on the computer is deleting messages, which is exactly what you did, or had an Admin do it for you. You deleted Duane Remick's post, most likely because he complimented me or because he copied the original post or for both reasons.... Your efforts to eliminate pertinent information contradicts your self-proclamation you are honest, accurate, and transparent.

For full proof of your intent just look at Post #8. You, the seller, cannot positively say this was Jack Colavita's cue with the information you had when you wrote that. Knowing you could not definitely say this was Jack's cue.... You did so anyways. You did not say this was "possibly" Jack Colavita's cue. Your claims of provenance are unnamed sources that cannot be checked, so they cannot be questioned. When called out on it, you basically say, "It doesn't matter, it's a nice Burton Spain example and the buyer can draw his own conclusions." Does this sound honest, accurate, or transparent to you ? The implication here is if you buy this cue and it is not Jack's, you're stuck with it because you really don't know. So when I say, you DON'T do your Due Diligence, you have already proven my point.

For the sake of the possible buyer, and make sure nothing is lost on this cue: YES, I had the case made. Yes, this was Jack Colavita's cue. YES, I owned it previously and purchased it thru a friend of Jack's, 30 plus years ago, with Jack's blessings. This cue was published in INSIDE POOL magazine October 2002, page 48, 5th cue from the top featuring a few of my Balabushka cues.

I like your last paragraph in this post, but if you knew this, why did you come in this thread and cause all this trouble? Just reveal your knowledge up front and not be such a tool?

 

[Kickin' Chicken]

Oh, Yes... Almost forgot..... nit-picking the Euphemia story, Just more proof of your willingness to post a story without verification.

What a marvelous thread hijack this has become.

You're gonna keep dogging me here in my fs thread because I said the guy dropped dead of a heart attack while playing an action match when, in fact, it was an exhibition? Who cares????? btw, Terry Hogan the degenerate actually walked over while Mike was on the floor dying, or dead, and tried to make a game with him. You're acting as if I said Mike Eufemia died in an airplane crash.

Lighten up, Karen.