Pool Ball Collecting.

[Cuebuddy]

I have been a member of this forum for a long while and I have seen these acts of kindness by folks who have and may never meet. Rubik's Cube you are one of the reasons that many of us are here.

Even before you helped out K2Kraze most of us knew you are one of the good guys, as is K2K. Thanks for being so generous and I have a feeling what comes around....goes around.

 

[branpureza]

That is an impressive and beautiful collection of balls, sir! Only exceeded by the exquisitely restored BBC rack. Simply wow!

Would you be at liberty to share a few details of how you came across the rack and your efforts restoring it?

K.


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Yes sir, of course. I'll post something with detail as soon as I have some free time and as soon as my photobucket account starts working properly. Can't upload any images at the moment for some reason.

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Thank you so much for those kind words, gentlemen, they are sincerely appreciated.

The truth is, of course, I'm really not deserving of such praise, for I was merely following K2K's extraordinary example. Here is a fellow who, after a few brief conversations at the start of this thread, mailed a total stranger a rare billiard ball which had been sought and coveted for the best part of twenty years... with absolutely nothing asked in return.

I can honestly testify that this selfless act changed my view of online forums, vowing from that day forth to 'pay it forward' as you say in America. As K2K mentioned, we have since become good friends and chat regularly about our shared passion for pool ball collecting... rather a strange obsession for middle-aged men to embark upon, perhaps, but it's a harmless endeavour and appeals to my sense of eccentricity. Oh, and I genuinely find some of the ball sets beautiful, almost miniature works of art.

You can rest assured, dear reader, that the transatlantic gift of those Guinness Balls, above, pales into insignificance compared to the generosity of spirit shown to me by their recipient over the last few months, the gentleman truly is an exceptional individual. I can offer no higher compliment than to promise my entire hoard of treasured billiard balls will be bequeathed to Texas one day to be part of what is probably the world's greatest collection. I wouldn't entrust their safekeeping to anywhere else. In the meantime, I'll try my utmost to build it up to something worthy of inclusion.

Cuebuddy: you, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar and it is I who should be thanking folks like your good self for your warm welcome to AZB.

Here's to our continued camaraderie in 2017.

Best wishes,
RC.

 

[K2Kraze]

I expected no less than your extremely humble reply, RC. A gentleman cueist and collector indeed. Birds of a feather...

Well there we have it folks ----- RC's exceptionally kind words once again showcase how one small yet significant example of what AZB offers to us all: relationships fostered over the passion we all share....global-reach cue sports across all fences and bodies of water, expecting nothing in return while looking forward to the next opportunity to share and foster someone else's interests. If my memory serves me correctly, this has been demonstrated to me since I was 6 years old learning the games in a smoky pool hall on the plains of South Dakota. Those elder gentlemen did the same by way of lessons, helpful tips and even the hand-me-down cue stick for the new kids, which I was on that first winter day with my Father in the lead. I was encouraged to do the same and promised dear old Dad I would help those I have yet to meet....what a game, huh?!!!!

Here's to a great 2017 ahead, RC, and to all those who tune in and contribute to this one thread amongst the other 433,000+ threads we have access to. Let's see what we can do

K.


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[K2Kraze]

This unique 2.25" set was found recently as part of an estate sale and showed almost no previous play by impact marks or scuffs. The obligatory and original thin-walled cardboard box imprinted on every surface stating "Made In Belgium" shows signs of extensive travels and long storage upon a high dusty shelf or perhaps an attic.

They polished up nicely with each taking a few minutes in-hand along with a phenolic polish I like to use on these balls that have the numbers and stripes silk-screened upon the surface.

I'll edit this post later today when I get them back out for a weigh-in and let them run on the table so-to-speak.

K.

Update: weigh-in shows these are averaging right at 161g with a lighter cue ball at 157g. Switching out to another cueball with matching weight right at 161g and these play surprisingly well for what must have been a low-price offering back in the day being silk screened.

Something different anyway

K.


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[K2Kraze]

Looking back through this thread, I realized no one had posted up the full line of Aramith ball sets in one post for guests or members to look at and compare designs, finishes and numeral styles.

So here they are from my Collection...

The entry-level Crown Standards:

Then they have the Premier set:

Followed by the Premium set:

Then the Super Aramith PRO:

Then the best they have today - the Tournaments:

There are quite a few "add-on" sets that Aramith has offered over the years, and all of those have been showcased within this thread somewhere I believe.

Hope that helps anyone wanting to compare their various ball sets side by side. Any questions, fire away.


K.




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[skip100]

Love those Tournaments!

 

[K2Kraze]

My good friend Albert from Fort Worth Billiards (aka Santa Claus that evening) and his trusty elf "D" stopped by the other night for a few games of FARGO, Golf, 8 ball and Basic Pocket Billiards while I talked them both into a special rum beverage and salted caramel peanuts....and I'll be darned if he didn't bring an early gift along. I didn't think I was this nice all year long - I've got them all fooled I guess

Last week while in his store downtown, I mentioned to A that I was developing a game in honor of my father, who so proudly served in the US Army right out of High School, using my Vigma Army balls that I've shared in the thread earlier this year...which I had conjured up on the memory of my father showing me different ball sets and how cool it would be to see ball sets representing all of the armed forces - which was back in the early 70's...

Little did I know that Vigma had come out with a totally different U.S. Army ball set designed using a more recent camo design and not just stars like on the set above....and of course this "new" to me ball set was the early present I received that evening.

I'm thinking I'll pair up 7 balls from each set and play "Army" like Dad used to call it when he got together with his friends in the smoky pool hall that served together --- while I watched and learned the game.

Who knew Santa Claus was listening....

Thanks, A!

K.


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[Rubik's Cube]

Good afternoon, everyone.

What a wonderful way to honour your dad, K2K, dreaming up new variations of the game whose passion passed from father to son.

For my own part, those lovely ball sets conjure memories of my all time favourite television character, Sergeant Bilko. How I used to love watching Ernie fleecing the likes of Ritzik and Grover, especially on the pool table!

Here's two more single balls from my collection: McDermotts purchased approximately thirty years ago. I like the fact that these older shamrocks are shown in outline, the newer versions being coloured green.

 

[branpureza]

Can't wait to play some rotation on my new table with this baseball set!

 

[branpureza]

Saw this set posted by Rubic's and K2 and had to have one. Love the look of them. :thumbup:

 

[branpureza]

Here's a nice Brunswick Ivorylene Dart set.

 

[branpureza]

A couple very worn Brunswick Direct Sites.

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Good afternoon, Branpureza.

Wow, that's a beautiful set of Aramith Baseballs, I've never seen them resplendent in their own designated box before. Where on Earth did you find them, sir?

I do have a set myself, as you mentioned, but had to wait twenty-something years to complete the collection with a much sought after black 16 stripe, until AZB's very own K2K came to the rescue.

Best wishes,
RC.

 

[branpureza]

And a handful of Hyatt Zig Zags.

These are my favorites. :smile:

 

[branpureza]

Good afternoon, Branpureza.

Wow, that's a beautiful set of Aramith Baseballs, I've never seen them resplendent in their own designated box before. Where on Earth did you find them, sir?

I do have a set myself, as you mentioned, but had to wait twenty-something years to complete the collection with a much sought after black 16 stripe, until AZB's very own K2K came to the rescue.

Best wishes,
RC.

PM sent sir!

 

[Rubik's Cube]

A beautiful and impressive collection already, Branpureza.

Hearty congratulations on sourcing those Criss Cross Balls, they are indeed very beguiling. I believe you had the serendipitous good fortune of catching the collecting bug at an oppotune moment, sir... for many years those balls were as rare as hen's teeth until, suddenly, three or four sets have appeared on eBay in the last few weeks.

A sage investment to be sure.

 

[branpureza]

That is an impressive and beautiful collection of balls, sir! Only exceeded by the exquisitely restored BBC rack. Simply wow!

Would you be at liberty to share a few details of how you came across the rack and your efforts restoring it?

K.


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Sorry for the late reply. I've given up on trying to upload to my photobucket account. I'll just upload the images on here.

Anyway, I purchased this from a guy a found on Ebay. I have seen this style of ball rack before and I think the original was made by Brunswick and later copied by Briggs. Both of them originally had very fancy free-hand looking lettering painted on the top for the logos which I knew I couldn't pull off. So I purchased the Brunswick decal from a website that sells them along with the numbers 0-9 that run along the side of the shelves. The hardest part about the top of it was painting the pinstripe along the edge. I had to tape it off perfectly with painter's tape.. even the semi-circle was done this way! The shelves were pretty warped so I had to build a slot on the back panel for them to insert into that would hold them straight. A lot of sanding and polyurethane and wood glue as well as blood, sweat, and tears and it finally turned out like this! I'm going to do another one as soon as I move into my new house in a couple months. It was a pretty fun project.



Cheers!

 

[branpureza]

Anymore baseball fans out there?:thumbup:

 

[K2Kraze]

Anymore baseball fans out there?:thumbup:

Here is a Baseball fan - right here, sir!

Now that is a beautiful set to take to the ballpark, branpureza. Spectacular!

Do you play those or display only?

And speaking of actually PLAYING baseball pocket billiards, with the original rules being so lacking, I worked on numerous small rule changes over the years with a few other game lovers and have a pdf version I'd be willing to share if you're interested....send me a PM with an email address and I'll fire a copy over - and if you see anything out of sorts or ways to improve upon them, don't hesitate. It's a great game to play.

231 runs possible per full rack

K.


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