Hunter said:
Just about the same type as this (see circa late 1970's Palmer and read description)
http://www.billiardcue.com/cues.php?view=1&search_letter=p
Palmer transitioned from being a custom cue maker to a
distributor, importer, retailer and line manufacturer in the mid 1970's, much like Mueller is today. They needed to deal in volume so they sold cloth, balls, cases, whatever they could get.
They still kept the custom shop open but it was definitely not the emphasis any more. The idea with the customs was to take care of the "Old Line" orders that still came in, repairs, etc. I say "Old Line" to cover the frist three catalogs.
While Palmer built many of their own forearms (when they had to) in the 1960's and 1970's, they also had as many made as they reasonably could from other sources. This was always to their specs and designs. It is very difficult to distinguish who built what, even for the builders, when forearms are built to a certain specification using the same materials and techniques.
Gus was a wonderful friend to Palmer and did a lot of work for them, but he could not supply large quanities to Palmer, nor did Palmer expect him too. To make forearms, you have to be set up for it. By the mid 1970's to mid 1980's when they were still making Old Line cues, it simply wasn't worth it for Palmer to set up their shop to make the forearms. So they would order the difficult, low volume blanks rom Gus, such as a couple of reverse ebonys, the 8 pointers, etc., anything their other suppliers couldn't supply.
He was pretty expensive even back then. Palmer used Gus to provide mostly expensive, premium cues, like the reverse prong ebony front and he made small quantities of premium. He also did other work for them like apply leather wraps, because he was so good they paid him for the premium work.
The Old Line cues were then made in the Palmer shop from whatever parts Palmer had on hand at a particular moment in time.
They started having forearms built overseas to their design specs with Dave Forman in 1975 and assembled the cues in their shop. The cue that you showed was built in the Palmer shop with what was most likely an imported forearm built to Palmer specifications. The vivid veneer colors and sequence are common if you look at other imported lines from the 1970's and 1980's.
Later lines including the PM and PB cues were designed by Peter Balner and built by Adam in Japan. The Pete Margo Bullet line was built by Palmer at their shop on mostly imported forearms.
I think the dealers who sold cues as Bi-Centennial were just thinking they were because of the story in the Blue Book and because they weren't regular line cues.
I personally guarantee you 100% they are not Szamboti forearms!
Chris
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