Wheat cue... GREAT FIND!!

Billiard Architect

Billiard Architect

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
What is the best deal you ever found on a cue?

Around 2-3 years ago I stopped into a pawn shop and found a Joss j2800 and paid 65 bucks for it. Joss valued it at 500 bucks.

But here may be the find of a lifetime... I walked into a pawn shop 2 days ago and dug around in their "cue bucket". Noticed a cocobolo beauty with 4 decorative rings (one on the shaft) and bw irish linen wrap. I looked at the tag and it said "Wheat" cue and it was marked 99 bucks. I gave the sob story that it was warped (which most cues are from a pawn shop) and asked if the price was negotiable. He said he would sell it to me for 60.

After further inspection I found it was marked "WHEAT 003". I sent a private message to Eddie here on the forum and he said he wanted to see it. I took it to him yesterday and he verified that it was the 3rd cue he ever sold (made around 2004). It does need some repairs but he said that he would take care of them.

Playability... I have got to say that I am impressed. It has what he determined to be maybe a morri hard tip on it. It is thinner than most cues but delivers a crisp hit. I would say that the pivot point on it is around 8 inches.

I will post pictures of it when I get it repaired by him. Sorry I cannot sell it because he said that if and when I ever want to he wants to buy it.

So what is the best deal you ever got on a cue?

JV<--- Playing cue: Eddie Wheat's 3rd cue...
 
I bought a Predator, custom jump cue, and a decent 2x4 case with miscellaneous tip shapers and even a measles cue ball all for $100 from a guy in the pool hall that needed money.

I bought a Jim Buss custom brand new with two shafts for $200. I was at a tournament and the seller told me he was going to sell it to another guy in my area, and that if he wanted it I had to sell it to him. I said OK. I got home and the guy wanted it so I sold it to him for $200. He called the guy and said, "Hey, you were going to sell this to me for $175." The original seller actually gave the guy the $25 back.
 
When I was 18 and wanted to get my first cue I traded 20 reprints of 1954 baseball cards for a brand new green Meucci cue. I told him the cards were real because if they were reprints they would've said reprint. These however did not.. but they were.

He found out of course and was pissed off for about a month, but then said it's only fair since he screws people out of deals left and right that he got taken once.

I used and learned with that cue. Basically got it free!
 
Here's a story about a bargain I got...

About 12 years ago I was closing up my room, and I found a cue laying on table 13 (all the way in the far back corner of my room). It had a plastic bridge head attached to the shaft. It was a Joss West with ebony points and ivory spears - a very nice Stroud - so I figured the owner would be sick when they realized that they forgot it or lost it. The guy that was back there that evening was short guy in his mid fifties playing by himself. I locked it up in the back office and waited for the owner to return and claim it. I put a note up on the bar that a cue was found, and if the owner identifies it - I'll return it.

2 weeks go by and the cue is still sitting in my office. I take out an ad in the El Paso Times Classifieds and I ask for the owner to call and identify the cue, and I will return it.

Well I get about 25 calls from the local smart asses trying to get a free cue. None of them could identify the cue. I got the same calls from everybody ... "Hey Dave, whaddya got? I'll buy it from you." I wasn't making no deals. So it stayed back there in the office.

After a while, I figured that the guy was just passing through town and forgot it - or he loved my room so much that he felt inclined to leave it there as a gift.

:p

I used the cue once or twice - it hit really nice - and it looked and felt beautiful in my hands - but it was NOT mine, and I always felt kind of guilty whenever I screwed it together or showed it to somebody. I put it in a case and it stayed there.

I didn't want to sell it because I would have felt as if I had profited from somebody else's misfortune. I just had this feeling that if I did sell it, the rightful owner would come in the very next day looking to claim his cue. That would be my luck.

Two and a half years later, I am behind the bar and this guy comes in and asks me - "Hey - I know this is a long shot - but a few years ago I came in here and I forgot one of my cues... blah blah blah.. and I'm sure its pretty much a gonner, but I'm not from here so I was wondering..."

I smiled and asked him what the cue looked like - he described it right down to the most minute details - the points, and he described the inlays and rings to a tee. He told me he forgot it on one of the back tables and didn't realize it was missing until he got back home to Colorado.

I couldn't believe it.

I took him back to the office and you should have saw his face when he saw his cue - talk about a happy person - he grabbed me in a bear hug! He was very relieved and wanted to give me cash as a reward - which I refused. The look on the guy's face when he saw his cue was enough payment for me.

About a month later, I received a package unexpectedly. It was a very nice Schon - it was brand new, and wrapped around the cue in a rubber band was a note. It was a cue the guy had purchased to replace his lost Joss. It was a nice cue, but he didn't like it, but he figured I would. The note thanked me for holding on to his cue for so long and this cue was his way of showing his appreciation. Later, I sold that cue at a time when I really needed some extra cash. That was a pretty good deal.

I guess the lesson here is this:

For every bargain that you find in the pawn shops, there is possibly or probably some guy out there wondering where that cue is - or what ever happened to it. I have had some cues ripped off and I know what that feels like.

These days I find a lot of Sneaky Petes on the wall, blended in with other house cues. I keep all of them, and let people know that I have them in case the bartender gets any inquiries on lost or stolen cues. I'm not going to sell any of them, and I put out an instructional newsletter every month and if I have found anything, I list the cue in there as found merchandise.

I found one last week - so if anyone in Orlando is missing a cue, tell me where you lost it, identify it properly (cue maker and an accurate description) and I'll get it back in your hands immediately.
:D
 
Originally Eddie thought it might be one that was stolen but then he remembered who he sold it to. I could see in his face that he did not like that the cue ended up in a pawn shop but said the original owner probably pawned it because 'they' did not play that much pool.

When he originally told me that the cue might have been stolen he will verify my response on the phone.. "oh sh*t... are you serious?". You have met me Blackjack you know that I would make things right if it was.

JV
 
Johnny "V" said:
You have met me Blackjack you know that I would make things right if it was.

JV
Click to expand...

No doubt, and I apologize to you if anyone thought I was implying that - Johnny "V" is a stand up guy - a damn tall one too.

:p

I've seen my stolen cue up for sale - which is why I relayed the story of the Joss cue.

See you Saturday.
 
Blackjack said:
No doubt, and I apologize to you if anyone thought I was implying that - Johnny "V" is a stand up guy - a damn tall one too.
Click to expand...

Hey if you run that together even that sounds bad :eek:

LOL
 
I once bought a Shon Limited for $165 just full of ivory. The guy went broke, and that's how much I had on me.
 
I bought a schon r4 with 2 shafts, predator sneaky, d1 mcdermott, meucci sneaky (old), some weird sneaky pete with a purpleheart shaft, a couple of cases that were porpers 2x4, 3x6 and here is the kicker

An omega DPK with 2 shafts six point cocobolo with veneers in excelletn condition at a pawn shop.

The guy said he thought the omega was ugly so I bought that for $125 and later traded it for almost $1800 in trade toward a SW.

I bought the whole lot for $700
 
I had the chance to buy a schon in Vegas around 96 or 97. It was offered with a 3x6 instroke case. I happen to be sitting with Jimmy from Pro-Billiards in Orlando and I explained what had happened and what the cue looked like and how I was kicking myself for not buying it. He looked at me with a grin and pulled out a magazine with a picture of the very same cue that I had the chance to buy right there on the front. He informed me that it was stolen and it is was a 1 of 1 and it would be worth a whole lot more than $500.

It was ebony with those checkered rings and malachite inlays all over it with diamond shaped ivory looking inlays scattered about. It looked like it was designed for Spiderman, with the web looking layout.
 
Johnny "V" said:
What is the best deal you ever found on a cue?

Around 2-3 years ago I stopped into a pawn shop and found a Joss j2800 and paid 65 bucks for it. Joss valued it at 500 bucks.

But here may be the find of a lifetime... I walked into a pawn shop 2 days ago and dug around in their "cue bucket". Noticed a cocobolo beauty with 4 decorative rings (one on the shaft) and bw irish linen wrap. I looked at the tag and it said "Wheat" cue and it was marked 99 bucks. I gave the sob story that it was warped (which most cues are from a pawn shop) and asked if the price was negotiable. He said he would sell it to me for 60.

After further inspection I found it was marked "WHEAT 003". I sent a private message to Eddie here on the forum and he said he wanted to see it. I took it to him yesterday and he verified that it was the 3rd cue he ever sold (made around 2004). It does need some repairs but he said that he would take care of them.

Playability... I have got to say that I am impressed. It has what he determined to be maybe a morri hard tip on it. It is thinner than most cues but delivers a crisp hit. I would say that the pivot point on it is around 8 inches.

I will post pictures of it when I get it repaired by him. Sorry I cannot sell it because he said that if and when I ever want to he wants to buy it.

So what is the best deal you ever got on a cue?

JV<--- Playing cue: Eddie Wheat's 3rd cue...
Click to expand...

I was snoopin around a Pawn shop once and found a nice little leather 1x2 case. It was marked $65. When I picked it up it felt a little heavy. I sat it on the counter and asked if he could come off the price any. He came down to $50. I knew there was something in it but didn't open it, neither did he and I gave him 50 bucks. When I got into the car, I opened the case and inside was a pristine R1 Schon... It was my lucky day:)
 
Johnny "V" said:
What is the best deal you ever found on a cue?

Around 2-3 years ago I stopped into a pawn shop and found a Joss j2800 and paid 65 bucks for it. Joss valued it at 500 bucks.

But here may be the find of a lifetime... I walked into a pawn shop 2 days ago and dug around in their "cue bucket". Noticed a cocobolo beauty with 4 decorative rings (one on the shaft) and bw irish linen wrap. I looked at the tag and it said "Wheat" cue and it was marked 99 bucks. I gave the sob story that it was warped (which most cues are from a pawn shop) and asked if the price was negotiable. He said he would sell it to me for 60.

After further inspection I found it was marked "WHEAT 003". I sent a private message to Eddie here on the forum and he said he wanted to see it. I took it to him yesterday and he verified that it was the 3rd cue he ever sold (made around 2004). It does need some repairs but he said that he would take care of them.

Playability... I have got to say that I am impressed. It has what he determined to be maybe a morri hard tip on it. It is thinner than most cues but delivers a crisp hit. I would say that the pivot point on it is around 8 inches.

I will post pictures of it when I get it repaired by him. Sorry I cannot sell it because he said that if and when I ever want to he wants to buy it.

So what is the best deal you ever got on a cue?

JV<--- Playing cue: Eddie Wheat's 3rd cue...
Click to expand...

Hey I found one of his old break cues in a bin at the '..... .....' a pawn shop next to the ............on ..... near .......
 
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Johnny "V" said:
What is the best deal you ever found on a cue?
Click to expand...

Well I think I got ya beat...

This morning I walked into my cubicle, and found an older series Meucci cue, in a case, just sitting there waiting for me... I looked it up online, and found it goes for around 700+ bucks!!!!

Beat that!
 
I have never gotten a good deal like that, sounds like it's time to visit the local pawn shops! I'll let you guys know what I find on monday :D
 
rokudan said:
Well I think I got ya beat...

This morning I walked into my cubicle, and found an older series Meucci cue, in a case, just sitting there waiting for me... I looked it up online, and found it goes for around 700+ bucks!!!!

Beat that!
Click to expand...

Hey quit stalkin my posts dammit... Wait, is that you lookin over my cube? Your freakin me out man!!!
 
stevea said:
I have never gotten a good deal like that, sounds like it's time to visit the local pawn shops! I'll let you guys know what I find on monday :D
Click to expand...

I am visiting my sis over in Dunedin next weekend let me know if there are any interesting finds.

THX
 
Johnny "V" said:
Hey quit stalkin my posts dammit... Wait, is that you lookin over my cube? Your freakin me out man!!!
Click to expand...

lol, that's what ya get for linking it to me!!!

Oh, and Dave loved his new car decal!! I'm sure you will too!!!
 
rokudan said:
lol, that's what ya get for linking it to me!!!

Oh, and Dave loved his new car decal!! I'm sure you will too!!!
Click to expand...

I guess I asked for it. Seeing that 2 foot Firebird on your Nissan was pretty damn funny.
 
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