Kind of Sad, Minnesota Fats Cue . . .

Kickin' Chicken

Kickin' Chicken

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A dear friend recently surprised me by sending me a cue that was signed by the legendary Minnesota Fats. Needless to say, I was blown away over receiving it.

The cue itself is low-end but the provenance is without question. This is Fatty's signature.

From doing some very basic research, I now know that MF hand signed very few autographs in favor of a hand stamper that could often be found in his jacket pocket.

Reportedly, he was somewhat illiterate and had difficulty with signing. Also, it was suggested that, at least in part, it made him feel important to whip out his stamper when asked for an autograph giving the impression that a stamper was needed as there was big demand. :thumbup:

The sad part to me regarding this particular cue is that it is dated just under a year from his death (by 2 weeks) and the difficulty he had in penning his signature is quite evident - notice the shakiness.

I'm interested if anyone knows how many MF signed cues might be out there and any other general info/comments are most welcome.

While I'd also be very interested in opinions on possible value, I do not believe I will be selling this one anytime soon. ;)

TIA

Best,
Brian kc
 

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In Fatty's defense, it's not easy to make a nice clean signature on the shaft end of a pool cue even when you're young (and literate).
 
Jay Helfert is who needs to reply to this what he says goes, he knew Fats. Based on wat I learned from Jay I'd guess its real. fats stamped his name most of the time, its my understanding tht as he got older he did sign a few things, and this looks like something he would have signed. I'm not sure, i'm going off memory of what Jay said. I hope Jay sees this thread and answeres it.

best
eric:)
 
purpdrag said:
In Fatty's defense, it's not easy to make a nice clean signature on the shaft end of a pool cue even when you're young (and literate).
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Fact! I'm literate and only 37 but have a hard time getting a nice signature on my cues. Sometimes I'll have to strip it off 2 or 3 times before it looks ok. Holding and signing something round is just kind of awkward.
 
Looks like the real deal to me. That's what Fat's hand scrawled signature looked like. A little wobbly maybe because it was not on a smooth surface. :smile:
The M, the F and the T are dead giveaways. That's Fats all the way! Of course someone else wrote the other part about the Tennessee Auto Auction.
 
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It would seem that if it was done for an auction, that there would be records from that available somewhere.
 
Hi guys and thanks very much for the input.

Just to be clear, the authenticity of the signature is not in question as the provenance of this cue is well established.

Anyone know of any other cues out there with Minnesota Fats authentic signature?

Best,
Brian kc
 
I tended bar at a golf course club house in Ocean City, MD in the 90's. They had a charity tournament and Johnny Unitas and Art Shell played in it. They both signed a beer coaster for me, but Johnny's hand was all jacked up from arthritis I think and he had to hold the sharpie between his thumb and forefinger. It was kinda sad and he died a few years later. It was just an incredible feeling having two living legends sitting at my bar and serving them drinks. :cool:
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
Hi guys and thanks very much for the input.

Just to be clear, the authenticity of the signature is not in question as the provenance of this cue is well established.

Anyone know of any other cues out there with Minnesota Fats authentic signature?

Best,
Brian kc
Click to expand...

Provenance is established with recognized verified documention which if existing, should be provided with the item when trying to establish retail value.

In this case obviously the cue is of little value so we're talking purely about the signature. The edition of script following his signature clearly not written in his hand may have an adverse impact on the whole.

In my opinion only, based on previous sales of his signature and the current market, without documentation, my guess is somewhere around 800-1000 retail. Again, just my opinion based on past experience and current market conditions.
 
If you assume the cue is not something he ever played with and has no real value, then what would a (documented) Fats hand signature on (say) a poster be worth?
I'm guessing a lot less than $800, but I have no data to back that up, just a guess.

Nice cue, I would keep it! :thumbup:
 
My dad picked this up in a trade the other day and just handed it off to me. Pretty cool. I wonder how many cues he had donated to this auction or what the story was behind it.
 

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jay helfert said:
Looks like the real deal to me. That's what Fat's hand scrawled signature looked like. A little wobbly maybe because it was not on a smooth surface.
The M, the F and the T are dead giveaways. That's Fats all the way! Of course someone else wrote the other part about the Tennessee Auto Auction.
Click to expand...
Someone else's writing would damage the value, if there is any.

I would keep it and see if anyone could remove the non Fats penmanship.

Nice find!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
A dear friend recently surprised me by sending me a cue that was signed by the legendary Minnesota Fats. Needless to say, I was blown away over receiving it.

The cue itself is low-end but the provenance is without question. This is Fatty's signature.

From doing some very basic research, I now know that MF hand signed very few autographs in favor of a hand stamper that could often be found in his jacket pocket.

Reportedly, he was somewhat illiterate and had difficulty with signing. Also, it was suggested that, at least in part, it made him feel important to whip out his stamper when asked for an autograph giving the impression that a stamper was needed as there was big demand. :thumbup:

The sad part to me regarding this particular cue is that it is dated just under a year from his death (by 2 weeks) and the difficulty he had in penning his signature is quite evident - notice the shakiness.

I'm interested if anyone knows how many MF signed cues might be out there and any other general info/comments are most welcome.

While I'd also be very interested in opinions on possible value, I do not believe I will be selling this one anytime soon. ;)

TIA

Best,
Brian kc
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I think it is real for several reasons. I think you should do some more research. I doubt he had any interest in an auto auction it may have been a paid gig. It was only 20 years ago see what you can find on the auction.

They may have even had an ad advertising Fats appearance or you may even locate a picture of him at the auction. Heck, you may find the guy who hired him. It would be nice to put with the cue as a package.
 
Fats wasn't illiterate by any means and he had a beautiful handwriting style. I expect that he signed that cue when he was old and not doing well.
 
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