Permit me if you will, dear reader, to recount what is surely the most extraordinary quest in my thirty plus years of seeking rare and unusual billiard balls from around the globe.
This story begins just over twelve months ago. It was the night before Christmas of 2016 when I received a festive email from eBay alerting me to the possibility that a new listing might be worthy of further note. Kudos indeed to whoever wrote that particular algorithm because its aim was unerring, nothing quite piques my attention like a pristine set of the fabled numberless Raschigs.
Everyone seeks to snag a bargain, naturally, so the asking price of 400 GBP (equivalent to something around 520 USD) was just a tad disappointing at this early stage, although wholly understandable given the item in question. I immediately declared a provisional interest, nonetheless, firing off a detailed enquiry to the seller. One always has a few disconcerting doubts over condition issues or, worse yet, being duped by outright counterfeits, so one or two polite questions regards historical origin and authenticity are seldom wasted.
A comprehensive and charming reply was swiftly forthcoming. The fellow worked for a jukebox distributor in the north of England, a rather impressive company with sizeable bases throughout Europe and America. Apparently, whilst refurbishing their German headquarters at Mainz, this highly prized Turniersatz box was discovered languishing somewhere in a dusty storeroom, a long since forgotten relic of a era when the firm also supplied pool tables, cues and accessories to the city's pubs and clubs in the 1980s.
I tendered a respectable bid. After a lengthy delay, the duration of which only stiffened my resolve to succeed, the offer was courteously declined with an explanation "they often fetch higher prices online, but" and here's the punchline that really knocked me sideways... "perhaps an agreement could be found if extra sets were purchased as a wholesale job lot!"
What I had serendipitously stumbled upon, ladies and gentlemen, was probably the largest hoard of vintage Raschigs anywhere on the planet. A veritable treasure trove! Furthermore, not only did this incredible collection boast an unimpeachable provenance, the balls were all untouched and in mint condition. I silently vowed there and then that a solution must be found to tempt the entire consignment westwards to my humble abode in Devon, preferably one which didn't involve pawning the family silver or an usurious second mortgage!
And so the negotiations began. I'll confess, my friends, this turned out to be a slow and rather serpentine process. Quite aside from reaching a financial agreement, the logistics of conveying such a valuable (and weighty) cargo across land and sea to my doorstep often proved extremely vexing. However, to cut a very long story mercifully short, the Raschigs eventually arrived on a rainy afternoon in June, 2017. It was a spectacular unveiling, reminiscent no doubt of Howard Carter's exploits ninety-five years hence revealing the gems nonpareil of Tutankhamen's tomb. The iconic blue boxes displayed a few minor signs of storage wear, a small scuff or scratch commensurate with age, but they had served their protective duty with distinction for three decades... the balls inside were magnificent!
At this point I sensed it was time to send for the cavalry, none other than AZB's very own K2Kraze, curator of the world's finest billiard ball collection and a person I'm honoured to call a friend. Suddenly finding myself in possession of such desirable masterpieces, realisation quickly dawned that expert help would be needed to find some of them deserving new homes in the United States. Being a fine chap as always Mr K offered his help and advice unreservedly but, after several heartfelt entreaties, I succeeded in persuading him to join me as a fifty-percent partner.
Compared to my endeavours thus far, the task of then transporting our precious Raschigs across the mighty Atlantic was reasonably straightforward and stress-free, if a tad costly! Four custom freight containers were commissioned and the balls dispatched via UPS on a forty-eight hour service to Fort Worth, Texas. And so it came to pass on a sunny August morn, albeit with our wallets considerably lighter, K2K finally took receipt of these incredible vintage treasures.
One might be forgiven, dear reader, in assuming that this happy event marked an end to my own personal chapter of the adventure... but it was not to be! There is an interesting postscript to our story, a transatlantic collaboration to create an English translation of Raschig's original eight-page booklet plus a certificate of authenticity and provenance. I hope you'll agree on viewing Mr K's beautiful photographs, below, the effort was worthwhile.
Best wishes,
Rubik's Cube.
This story begins just over twelve months ago. It was the night before Christmas of 2016 when I received a festive email from eBay alerting me to the possibility that a new listing might be worthy of further note. Kudos indeed to whoever wrote that particular algorithm because its aim was unerring, nothing quite piques my attention like a pristine set of the fabled numberless Raschigs.
Everyone seeks to snag a bargain, naturally, so the asking price of 400 GBP (equivalent to something around 520 USD) was just a tad disappointing at this early stage, although wholly understandable given the item in question. I immediately declared a provisional interest, nonetheless, firing off a detailed enquiry to the seller. One always has a few disconcerting doubts over condition issues or, worse yet, being duped by outright counterfeits, so one or two polite questions regards historical origin and authenticity are seldom wasted.
A comprehensive and charming reply was swiftly forthcoming. The fellow worked for a jukebox distributor in the north of England, a rather impressive company with sizeable bases throughout Europe and America. Apparently, whilst refurbishing their German headquarters at Mainz, this highly prized Turniersatz box was discovered languishing somewhere in a dusty storeroom, a long since forgotten relic of a era when the firm also supplied pool tables, cues and accessories to the city's pubs and clubs in the 1980s.
I tendered a respectable bid. After a lengthy delay, the duration of which only stiffened my resolve to succeed, the offer was courteously declined with an explanation "they often fetch higher prices online, but" and here's the punchline that really knocked me sideways... "perhaps an agreement could be found if extra sets were purchased as a wholesale job lot!"
What I had serendipitously stumbled upon, ladies and gentlemen, was probably the largest hoard of vintage Raschigs anywhere on the planet. A veritable treasure trove! Furthermore, not only did this incredible collection boast an unimpeachable provenance, the balls were all untouched and in mint condition. I silently vowed there and then that a solution must be found to tempt the entire consignment westwards to my humble abode in Devon, preferably one which didn't involve pawning the family silver or an usurious second mortgage!
And so the negotiations began. I'll confess, my friends, this turned out to be a slow and rather serpentine process. Quite aside from reaching a financial agreement, the logistics of conveying such a valuable (and weighty) cargo across land and sea to my doorstep often proved extremely vexing. However, to cut a very long story mercifully short, the Raschigs eventually arrived on a rainy afternoon in June, 2017. It was a spectacular unveiling, reminiscent no doubt of Howard Carter's exploits ninety-five years hence revealing the gems nonpareil of Tutankhamen's tomb. The iconic blue boxes displayed a few minor signs of storage wear, a small scuff or scratch commensurate with age, but they had served their protective duty with distinction for three decades... the balls inside were magnificent!
At this point I sensed it was time to send for the cavalry, none other than AZB's very own K2Kraze, curator of the world's finest billiard ball collection and a person I'm honoured to call a friend. Suddenly finding myself in possession of such desirable masterpieces, realisation quickly dawned that expert help would be needed to find some of them deserving new homes in the United States. Being a fine chap as always Mr K offered his help and advice unreservedly but, after several heartfelt entreaties, I succeeded in persuading him to join me as a fifty-percent partner.
Compared to my endeavours thus far, the task of then transporting our precious Raschigs across the mighty Atlantic was reasonably straightforward and stress-free, if a tad costly! Four custom freight containers were commissioned and the balls dispatched via UPS on a forty-eight hour service to Fort Worth, Texas. And so it came to pass on a sunny August morn, albeit with our wallets considerably lighter, K2K finally took receipt of these incredible vintage treasures.
One might be forgiven, dear reader, in assuming that this happy event marked an end to my own personal chapter of the adventure... but it was not to be! There is an interesting postscript to our story, a transatlantic collaboration to create an English translation of Raschig's original eight-page booklet plus a certificate of authenticity and provenance. I hope you'll agree on viewing Mr K's beautiful photographs, below, the effort was worthwhile.
Best wishes,
Rubik's Cube.
. And what really unfolded over those next few months was fraught with more twists and turns and what-ifs than an Agatha Christie novel. Questions of mystery and intrigue seemed to lurk at every juncture. Could it possibly be true that a small pallet of never seen, touched, played or even distributed Raschig numberless 9’s were waiting to be finally received - taken out of the dark recesses of that distribution warehouse? 
and a great friend at your side throughout the adventures and it’s amazing the treasures one can find - and then share them 
