Vintage Viking redone?

[cuenut]

Sent pics to Viking and hoping to find out more about this cue. Looks to be a legit Z or H-240, but joint pin puzzles me, as I didn't think this pin came out of there shop until several years later. Maybe the cue was sent in to be reworked and they changed the pin? Anyway, the rest of the cue is in pretty good shape, and all of the plastic in the points is intact. I saw another one very similar to this sell on ebay about a week or so ago, but was in pretty poor shape. Any ideas as to value in this condition. Shaft seems to have been reworked as well.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Scott

 

[Chopdoc]

It has a later bumper as well as a later pin.


I am suspecting those two features are original. Why would somebody "upgrade" the bumper to the newer one? It would require plugging and tapping the hole I believe.

I will say that even Viking can't get the original mushroom bumpers, so I guess, perhaps, one might rework it to fit the modern screw in viking bumper. But I think that is unlikely.


Condition is everything, when you say the shaft was reworked, what do you mean? Is it a pencil?


.

 

[cuenut]

The shaft appears to have been made using something like an early Predator blank. It has 10 "segments", and it looks like someone took the chain link ring off and put it on the newer spliced shaft blank, but in the process something happened to the outermost chain link slots, and they tried to remake it but the slots do not match and are longer than the others. First two slotted rings making up 2/3 of the chain have 9 slots, and the outermost ring has 8. But overall it is in pretty good shape. I am anxious to find out what Viking rep has to say. I think it is possible that it may have been made later kind of like McDermott did with some of their old blanks from the D series. Hope to find out more soon!

 

[garczar]

The shaft appears to have been made using something like an early Predator blank. It has 10 "segments", and it looks like someone took the chain link ring off and put it on the newer spliced shaft blank, but in the process something happened to the outermost chain link slots, and they tried to remake it but the slots do not match and are longer than the others. First two slotted rings making up 2/3 of the chain have 9 slots, and the outermost ring has 8. But overall it is in pretty good shape. I am anxious to find out what Viking rep has to say. I think it is possible that it may have been made later kind of like McDermott did with some of their old blanks from the D series. Hope to find out more soon!

That cue was probably in their line-up for more than one catalog. The QR pin has been around quite a while so i'm sure that's original pin. Cool old cue!

 

[cuenut]

Based off of the catalog archives on their website it is either a Z or H series cue, and that QR was not an option. Maybe a prototype at that time? Hoping to find out more from them soon.

 

[VikingCueMfg]

I just sent you an email... it's been a long day. Here is a quick recap...

If it was finished later on as an old blank (which is unlikely but not impossible), it would have been at least a decade ago and was sold as a Limited or Prototype cue but never documented.If it were more modern, the inlays would most likely be tighter.

My guess... it came through Viking as a repair. We can no longer get the old style bumpers... the original company that supplied them went out of business long ago and demand isn't high enough at this point to make it cost effective to have someone retool.
The pin changeover would be very simple and the hole for the bumper (also an easy fix) would have been drilled and tapped for the newer style bumper. In fact, the cue very well might be adapted for the stackable, interchangeable weight system as well. That being said, we might have refinished the cue and the sanding process could have taken the engraving off-if there was one. In truth, the most expensive part of the repair would have singularly been putting the "Viking" back on. But... I noticed that the catalog picture is missing the "Viking" as well. The difference in color of the shaft rings and forearm rings leads me to believe in the refinish as well. The new UV doesn't "yellow" like the old varnishes.

I think that you are right on with the ring being replaced. Like I said before, it would be a cost issue. To make a rod of the correct spacing would be pretty expensive... so it would be the best option for someone to have used an available, similar rod. I doubt that we would have done this particular work... mostly because we would have sent it through the booth with the butt and the colors of the vintage rings would match. We would and very often fit other brands of shafts to our butts. Like I said in an earlier message, we can make the rod and refit everything to a brand new shaft for you if you would like.

This is just my best guess...

Best Regards

 

[cuenut]

Thanks Chuck for the explanation. I did see your email. I am forwarding a few more detailed pics of the other "unknown" plain jane after taking the bumper off.