Pool Ball Collecting.

[Hard Knock Cues]

I do have a curiosity question about some Aramith premier's.

The first one is a brand new set of premiere's bought brand new from my Aramith dealer maybe a month ago. The stripe is 1.25 " wide and the stick or white part around the number is 75 in. They are 164.5-167.9g so 3.4 g different from heaviest to lightest. Which in my book is not too bad.

The second picture of an older set I have, 1.125" stripes and a .75" stick around the number. They are 162.2 -164g so1.8 g different which is pretty darn good..

The third set have fours that are open and have a straight dash under the 6 and 9. The stripe is 1.20 in wide. The sticks are .75 " around the numbers. These balls are 160 - 164g so 4g of each other. I also don't think this is the original box.

Ultimately my questions are can they be dated by such things as the width of the stripe, weight, the dash, and the open 4? I know that someone maybe it was boxcar mentioned that Hyatt never made an open four.
Thanks ahead of time for any knowledge that any of you share.

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Well that was exciting.

A flurry of activity at the auction end with the hammer eventually coming down at $2,630.99.

I tip my hat to the new owner. And it’s good news for all us collectors… our passion is clearly shared and special sets appreciated

 

[Rubik's Cube]

All great questions, HKC.

As I’m sure you already know, sir, straight underscores usually indicate an earlier vintage.

I must confess that dating Aramith sets by width of stripe had never occurred to me before. Alas, Boxcar does not frequent the forum anymore. He would have been the gentleman to ask about such things for sure.

 

[Hard Knock Cues]

All great questions, HKC.

As I’m sure you already know, sir, straight underscores usually indicat an earlier vintage.

I must confess that dating Aramith sets by width of stripe had never occurred to me before. Alas, Boxcar does not frequent the forum anymore. He would have been the gentleman to ask about such things for sure.

Thank you sir, it is unfortunate I did not come across my findings earlier.
Possibly someone else may come along with some insight.
For now I will surely keep all three in my collection.

 

[Benelli]

Well that was exciting.

A flurry of activity at the auction end with the hammer eventually coming down at $2,630.99.

I tip my hat to the new owner. And it’s good news for all us collectors… our passion is clearly shared and special sets appreciated

That set is not worth that much.

The biddiders and bidding history on that auction is very suspect.

 

[Rubik's Cube]

Hello, Mr B.

Yes indeed, sir. A few of us were privately discussing the fact that the fellow with a low feedback score had placed 72 bids in his eBay history, 57 of which were on items listed by this same seller. That does seem suspicious however one slices it.

That noted, however, this gentleman was not even the underbidder at the death. The two main combatants appear genuine to me, dear chap… serious collectors who really wanted a Cardball v2 for their cabinet.

 

[Benelli]

Hello, Mr B.

Yes indeed, sir. A few of us were privately discussing the fact that the fellow with a low feedback score had placed 72 bids in his eBay history, 57 of which were on items listed by this same seller. That does seem suspicious however one slices it.

That noted, however, this gentleman was not even the underbidder at the death. The two main combatants appear genuine to me, dear chap… serious collectors who really wanted a Cardball v2 for their cabinet.

Then their bad collectors, with no contacts or connections to the collecting community because they could have gotten that set for half of what they/them paid...

This is bad for the hobby and irrational exuberance in valuations is always the high point of a bubble crash...

 

[Chi-Rack]

You either have them or you don't. Sometimes that's the bottom line. He paid a lot but he wanted that set. I don't see them that often. I've overpaid for the same reason - I'm focused on the collection.

It was more money than I expected so it will be interesting to watch the ZigZag and Hex sets that end this Saturday. I will not be participating, but if they go sky high then maybe RC is right and our passion is gaining popularity. Supply and demand is starting to kick in. If not, maybe he did get snookered. I'm sure he's happy regardless.

On a warm note, my first motorcycle was a Benelli 250 single. I wish I still had it.

 

[Benelli]

You either have them or you don't. Sometimes that's the bottom line. He paid a lot but he wanted that set. I don't see them that often. I've overpaid for the same reason - I'm focused on the collection.

It was more money than I expected so it will be interesting to watch the ZigZag and Hex sets that end this Saturday. I will not be participating, but if they go sky high then maybe RC is right and our passion is gaining popularity. Supply and demand is starting to kick in. If not, maybe he did get snookered. I'm sure he's happy regardless.

On a warm note, my first motorcycle was a Benelli 250 single. I wish I still had it.

I am by no means saying they got snookered, it's a great set, and the buyer clearly wanted it VERY badly.

My point was more that this price point should not be considered a new norm. If the buyer is new to the hobby and not really part of the wider PBC community, then paying this insane price might have been their only avenue to acquire.

But I personally know ten collectors with this set, and some of them have more than one in their possession. I would be stunned if this person had reached out on the PB FB group and made a $1500 offer, that at least one of those sets would have been offered up.

Shit, I would trade mine for the right pool cue...

Secondly, I would not compare or even group the value of a modern phenolic set compared to two rarer clay sets. There are larger Billiards collectors that are not hardcore ball nerds who would gladly pay through the nose to add either of those sets to their antique/vintage collection.

Italian motorcycles and Italian shotguns, shame their pool cues suck....