Question for Cue Guys re Helmstetter Cues.

[Blue Hog ridr]

A Pool Buddy finds fairly decent cues at one Pawn Shop in town. On his last foray, he found a Helmstetter Snooker Cue.

Sorry, I was working on all of his cues last night for the beginning of League and didn't take a picture so will describe it as best as possible.

Plain, 4 points which are pretty even. Ash shaft. Composite ferrule, with no brass ferrule, which would make me think that it may not be too old.

The one more unique thing about it is, that it has a wood pin. It is signed nicely on the top of the butt. Helmstetter.

There is not much fancy schmancy about the cue, so would obviously not be in the money range, other than it may be somewhat collectible for someone who likes to have Helmstetter cues.

Decent condition and very nicely balanced.

This is more of the type of Cue that maybe your Father or Grandfather would hand down and be of more value as a sentimental cue over anything else.

So, what Rob was interested in more than anything, was if someone can give a time period that Helmstetter made a Snooker cue and used a wood pin on them, as he did try a bit of research on it and wasn't able to come up with any info.

It does have the, how would I describe this, the shaved off piece at the end of the butt, that a Snooker player would always hold in the palm of his hand. The triangular piece at the butt seems to have a nice material on it.

I told him that I would ask here, as if there was anyone that would know something about them, it would be on AZB.

Thanks for the help on this one.

 

[Cuebuddy]

Seems to me I read that snooker cues were made from the early 70's to Richards retirement around 1987.

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Thanks, that is a great start. I think this is what Rob was mostly interested in, altho maybe deep down, he had hoped that it was worth something.

I didn't really want to let him down too much last night and tell him that it likely wouldn't fall into the category of a money collectible, over something that was just nice to own.

Altho, he has found a couple of decent cues that were modern and worth something for
a song and a dance at that shop.

I mean, I have a re done BBC and a Tru Balance that are way older. And even they likely aren't worth that much. I have a small handful of Tru Balance Cues that could be re finished with a new shaft and at best, maybe worth a hundred or so depending on the end result.

I guess an old and refinished cue will depend on what the current cue market will bear at any one time.

I also have a ton of older Duff cues that would make nice players. But, one would have to find a player that would appreciate the fact that these were originals made in Canada.

The one fellow/member here, Mason, would likely still have quite a few nice rosewood and some ebony butts from the old factory that he is or was selling at one time for a very decent price.

 

[pt109]

I had a lot of Adam, Helmstetter and BCE cues at one time...1,100 of them.
The best of them had the threaded wood screw...some were replaced by aluminum.
...they retailed in the mid-two hundred range,

Dennis Taylor was using one of those cues when he won the world snooker...mid 80s.

BTW, Terry....that flat part at the end of a snooker butt is called a 'chamfer'

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Thanks PT. That was the word that my Old Age Memory was looking for.

That is good info also. Any idea yourself what that plain Helm might be worth, when it was new. Like maybe approx price that something like that may have gone for in it's day.

Now, likely approx $50 at the most. I think Rob paid $30 for it. Still, for $30, and if a guy uses it a bit and it plays well, it will be worth it.

Rob has his own table so he can have fun with it in his dungeon.

Just the fact that it has a plastic or composite material for a ferrule over a brass one
would be a sign that it wasn't a truly olde one.

Now, if it had said, "Paris", on the butt, he would have had a Winner.

 

[pt109]

Thanks PT. That was the word that my Old Age Memory was looking for.

That is good info also. Any idea yourself what that plain Helm might be worth, when it was new. Like maybe approx price that something like that may have gone for in it's day.

Now, likely approx $50 at the most. I think Rob paid $30 for it. Still, for $30, and if a guy uses it a bit and it plays well, it will be worth it.

Rob has his own table so he can have fun with it in his dungeon.

Just the fact that it has a plastic or composite material for a ferrule over a brass one
would be a sign that it wasn't a truly olde one.

Now, if it had said, "Paris", on the butt, he would have had a Winner.

Most of those cues that I had did not have a brass ferrule.
Richard Helmstetter was a fine carom cue maker originally....
...so those snooker cues had the same design....and those ferrules hit much better than brass.
We have a former Canadian snooker champion in Toronto who still uses his....
...he wouldn't sell it for a g-note.