my first hoppe

HustlinYou

HustlinYou

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
just picked this up off ebay let me know what ya guys think !












thinking about getting it converted what do you guys think?
also will the colors brighten up with a refinish?



also here is the description from the seller


Very nice looking circa 1950s Brunswick Balke Collender Willie Hoppe pool, billiard, cue stick. This cue is 55-1/4 inches long, it has a 11-1/2mm replaced ferrule with new tip and is stamped 19 ounces. The cue is straight. The joint rings have swollen over the years and the joint could use a polish. Nice decal and leather wrap. Some dings and dent but I think the cue is in excellent condition.
 
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All i can see is little thumbnails and when I clicked on the pics it didnt show the pics, it just sent me to imageshack or where theyre hosted.
 
I think I saw that cue on the bay. Can you post better pics of the points?
 
It's a nice cue: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300060205612

But why in the world would you pay $325 for a cue with plans to convert? The odds are good that it will be thick enough to convert, but you can get a less expensive 1-piece and have a better chance.

Having said all that, I think you got very lucky - this is definitely a 1950's Hoppe, and probably purpleheart. The veneers will probably be very bright as well. These Hoppe Pro purplehearts (if that's what it is) had VERY nice purpleheart wood, you would have easily paid that for a 1-piece Titlist purpleheart and the wood might not have been as nice. I hope it IS purpleheart - good luck!
 
hey runscott i have been looking and looking and all 1 piece hoppes and titlist are all going for 350.i was being impatient and saw this on ebay and looked in my blue book and kinda just made a decision without knowing much. how can i tell if it is purpleheart?
do you know why the length might only be 55 1/4 inches?
i have thought about just having this cue kept in this condition if it is original? is there a way to convert a hoppe and still keep logo or take it off then have it put back on? i need help this is my first old brunswick cue and definately no the last!
 
HustlinYou said:
hey runscott i have been looking and looking and all 1 piece hoppes and titlist are all going for 350.i was being impatient and saw this on ebay and looked in my blue book and kinda just made a decision without knowing much. how can i tell if it is purpleheart?
do you know why the length might only be 55 1/4 inches?
i have thought about just having this cue kept in this condition if it is original? is there a way to convert a hoppe and still keep logo or take it off then have it put back on? i need help this is my first old brunswick cue and definately no the last!
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If it is purpleheart, odds are that it will NOT be obvious when you receive it. I've looked at a lot of ebay scans of '50s Hoppes, and have some myself, and this one looks like purpleheart - it was actually fairly common in the '50s Hoppes, but that doesn't make it any less cool to have found. Post a good scan of the butt when you receive it, and I should be able to tell you.

edited to add: I only say this because the old finish can make the purpleheart look brownish.

Unless your cue has some weird variation buttplate, your buttplate is short. The shaft is probably also short, which is why they put a long ferrule on it. Normally these don't play particularly good as-is, and with all the modifications...well...decide when you get it :) Regarding the decal, the butt is too thick for most of today's players (way thick) - I like them that way, but I'm weird. So if you have it converted, you lose the decal. I'm thinking this cue is as good a candidate as any 2-piece Hoppe Pro for conversion, based on the modifications it's already been through, but decide when you get it. A converted purpleheart would look great. When you receive it, measure from the butt to the base of the joint, then get the width at the base of the joint. That will tell your cuemaker what he needs to know about conversion possibilities. Post the information here and I'm sure some will comment.
 
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hey hustle,
don't sweat runscott! you got a nice cue for a good price.
Scott is really, really cheap and would not buy anything unless he was robbing!
I think the usual length on those cues is 57 but it may be a custom order. I have seen cuemakers save the logo, so it is possible.
 
thanks ! also any idea what if i should replace joint collar and shaft collar since they are swollen if i decide to leave it like it is?
 
Looks like a nice original cue

I wouldn't convert this cue if it were me IMO :rolleyes: ....looks like a nice original cue with a good decal :)

I think you would be much better off finding a one piece for a conversion project {without such a nice decal} JMO ;) -- NICE BUY :D
 
well i didnt really know what i was buying ,but this is my first old brunswick so ill see what i end up doing but not anything for atleast couple months ,but im gonna go its late thanks for the interest!
 
HustlinYou said:
well i didnt really know what i was buying ,but this is my first old brunswick so ill see what i end up doing but not anything for atleast couple months ,but im gonna go its late thanks for the interest!
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You did good. I'm glad you passed up that one piece -- not a great cue. These cues are basically antiques. We buy them for nostaligia, etc., mainly to own as antiques. There are lots of Willie Hoppe professional's around. They're not an endangered species, so having the cue made into a cool custom conversion wouldn't hurt a thing, and you got it for the right price.

Chris
 
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cuesrus said:
hey hustle,
don't sweat runscott! you got a nice cue for a good price.
Scott is really, really cheap and would not buy anything unless he was robbing!
I think the usual length on those cues is 57 but it may be a custom order. I have seen cuemakers save the logo, so it is possible.
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Guys - I apologize for this. This guy is a troll who got pissed off because I called him out on some stupid comments he made on a previous thread. Now he's jumping in here where he has no business and also absolutely no knowledge. Proof of this is his comment that a label on a butt this large could be saved. It's not possible without leaving the butt large. And no, a cue this short was not a custom order.

If you do a search on his previous posts you will see what I'm talking about. Again, sorry for this, but trolls are an inevitable part of any forum.
 
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HustlinYou said:
Cant wait to get the cue!
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Here's a PH to compare it to when you get it:
 

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how do hoppes like this play? could you give an example of how they play compared to like a schon joss etc?
 
HustlinYou said:
how do hoppes like this play? could you give an example of how they play compared to like a schon joss etc?
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It's funny you should ask - I posted a thread a few days ago asking the same question, and didn't get a single response. I think that means that people simply don't play with them.

In general, they are mediocre as playing cues - joints are usually swollen or loose, shafts generally warped, ferrules loose or cracked, butt is so thick it feels 'weird' to most players (not me), and they are too short, etc. On the other hand, I recently acquired 3 1941-45 ivory ring Hoppe Pros, and two of them shoot very nicely as-is - one of them (ebony) has a really, really sweet hit. The forearm is slightly damaged, so I had planned to have a conversion made of it, but it hits so nice that I instead restored it and have been taking it to the pool rooms.

Check the joint connection - if it is sound, the shaft is relatively straight, and the ferrule is good, re-tip it and take it for a test-ride. Another thing you can try is to use a good shaft from another 5/16x14 cue - I have a Tim Scruggs sneaky pete shaft that I 'test ride' my Hoppe Pros with.
 
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