Rashig Pool balls

I can chime in on the original issue Raschig 9-Ball set had cue balls all without dots or markings - whereas the cue balls with black dots were issued with the standard 15-ball set to follow suit with what was then standard tournament offerings from other manufactures.

The 9-Ball set cue ball is perfectly white with no colorations and no dots. It was designed to have the appearance of perfection gliding across the baize like it’s fellow other balls in the set. No numbers. No markings. Except for the Bumblebee 9 of course


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This thread has been very interesting for me....as a player, not a collector.

When I was a kid, Canada and South America was the biggest market for Vitalite snooker
balls....they were a half ounce lighter than the English Crystalate...which are 5 oz.
You could do some great spin shots with them...make them float to a rail with maxi spin.
The 5 oz ball was better for breaking the pack....but some position shots weren’t possible
with these Crystalites.
When I bought a set of Raschig in 1989, I understood them right away....
...and they were the talk of the trade show in Nashville that year...
...when crossing a number or a stripe on the spherical micrometer, the needle didn’t move
at all, unlike every other ball at the show....the tolerance was the best ever.

So it was illuminating to find that Raschig had something to do with Vitelite.

I was at the DCC in 2015....the Cyclop balls on the main floor were the standard colors...
...and they reminded me of the Vitelite and Raschig balls...some difficult banks felt like
hangers.

There was one 3-ball that was off balance or off round....the rest played great.
 
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I really like the Rashig balls and in play they do, indeed, look like creamy spheres gliding across the cloth.

They make great accent pieces for certain cues, as well. ;)

best,
brian kc
 

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I have a friend who just found several UNUSED, NEW IN BOX sets of the 16 ball sets. The boxes have shelf wear only and the balls are new. I really want to buy a set from him but have NO IDEA what to offer and he doesn't really know what to charge. What he paid for them is not relevant. The question is what should he sell them for. I can not find any comparable price information on the auction sites or collector sites that is recent. Any thoughts?
 
Dean -

The numberless Raschig 9-Ball set (the one I posted in this thread) hasn’t been “made” for the last 25 years or so but they are infrequently available out there in conditions ranging from flawless, new, never-played to completely wore out and damaged.

Just like Centennials for the last 4 decades.

~ K


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They are from the mid to late 80’s I have about 9-10 sets of them. Just about everything they ever sold, if not everything.

They do play a bit different than centennial or any saluc balls
 
Thank you, Ipoppa. You're very welcome, sir. :)

It's well known that Saluc (Aramith) purchased the rights to the Raschig billiard ball manufactory at some point in the early 1990s, only to shelve the brand due to its prohibitive process costs. I wonder, however, if they inherited a cache of those fabulous bumblebees which subsequently found their way into these hybrid sets? I neglected to mention that the set from Ortmann was also missing any sort of Aramith brochure inside the box, another sign that something isn't quite right here.

On the subject of the black-dotted cueball: I stand to be corrected but I believe that this was only present in certain sixteen-ball Raschig sets, I've never seen one in a ten-ball Tueniersatz. With regards prices for the legendary numberless sets, anything starting with a 3 seems to asked for play-worn sets in varying degrees of wear. A buyer would be extremely fortunate indeed to snag a pristine condition example for something approaching that figure.

The last mint, unused Raschig Turniersatz (in original box) I saw sold on eBay for $504 after a fierce battle between numerous bidders. It did not, however, sport one of the rare Raschig pamphlets... a desirable collectible in its own right.

Best wishes,
RC. :)
I’ll have to look when I get home, but I’m 80% sure says “made in west Germany“ on the original boxes. All my sets are mint in original boxes. One set i bought new in 87/88 for $175(the friends) price. That was a ton for balls then. $100 was a set of centennials new
 
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