Your best thrift store, garage sale, or pawn shop billiard find

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RingKing

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I found a Sardo tight rack 5000 sitting on the nick knack shelf of the local goodwill priced at $4.99 pretty sure the people there had no idea what it was. What made it even better when I went to check out I found out it was half priced. SCORE! ;)

My first find was a 1x2 It's George case for $6.99 sold it on an online auction for $116.00

What's your best find?
 
RingKing said:
I found a Sardo tight rack 5000 sitting on the nick knack shelf of the local goodwill priced at $4.99 pretty sure the people there had no idea what it was. What made it even better when I went to check out I found out it was half priced. SCORE! ;)

My first find was a 1x2 It's George case for $6.99 sold it on an online auction for $116.00

What's your best find?
Click to expand...

Maybe related, one day, 5 years ago i got stiffed by a Pawn shop, i bought a cue for $100.00; thinking it was a bargain, went back to the store a month later and find few similar cues! come to find out he bought few of them from an out of business pool shop by the dozen, for $25; mean store owner, was very happy he stiffed me!! luckily at the time, he threw a good case for the deal, which had a good tip shaper, cue holder, chalk, and few cheap tips! almost took them back!

Lesson to learn Pawn shop owners are pool cues experts and know how to check and search for cues and find exact value before they Pawn or buy a cue! or a watches or gold! at times they let go at good $$ if item did not sell quick! Google changed the world!!
 
Not all pawn shops. A friend found a custom McDermott for less than $200. He ended up selling it for over $1,200 online.
 
i went to the thrift store to look for pool stuff no luck on that but bought a watch for 2 dollars and sold it on ebay for $1000 lol so keep your eye open you never know what you might find
 
Original Carom King one piece cue for $30 off the wall of an antique shop

Straight as an arrow.
 
A Willie Hoppe titlist 12.00(flea Market) and a hard-shell case like a musical instrument.
Sold the case and traded Russ Espiritu even for a plain jane cue some 20-25 years ago.
 
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Wasn't me, but a guy went to a yard sale and got a Black Boar for $25.00. It was confirmed by several folks I trust completely, this happened in the Raleigh NC area about 6 years ago. He saw it, knew what it was, then bought it and wanted to skeedaddle asap. His wife wanted to linger around and look at some other goodies and the whole time he is trying to get her out of there before anyone can figure out what happened to grandpas pool cue. I saw the cue and the butt was cracked but otherwise it was perfect with two shafts dead straight!
 
not a real bargin

i was in phoenix az waiting for an apointment and there was a pawn shop next door and i had a hour to kill. i went in and found a very large rack of cues, there was a plain josswest kinda beat up but still worth 7 - 800 bucks, i took it to the owner and ask for a price, he said he would let it go for only 2500.00, now i know why he had a large rack of cues.
 
Found a Joss cue and Action case with a tip tool and scuffer in a local pawn shop for $100. Cue had very little wear. I researched it by sending the number on the joint to Joss and found out the model #. it sells for about $325 at various sites.
 
Lucky Only Once

I picked up a new used Brunswick leather cue case at a flea market.
Paid 10 bucks sold it for 100$.
 
Brunswick Centennial Balls

I found 5 full sets of Centennials and 1 broken set missing 2 balls for $110 shipped off Craigslist. I sold all the sets except one (personal best) set for $100-$120 each.
 
Pawn shop
Brunswick by Palmer titlist for $80. Still have it
Capone PJ for $30. Sold for $550
Meucci original, 2 13.25 micarta ferrules shafts in a centennial for $180. Sold the mooch for $300, still have the centennial.
Fellini for $10. Traded for a cue which I sold for $400.
Two Dufferin ebony silver anniversary one piece cues. $90. Traded for a Darin hill.

Craigslist
McDermott d-15 for $156. Traded for a falcon that MSRP'd for $1500. Still have it. Plays amazing.
Schon R-6 for $165. Got rid of in a trade.
Mohawk for $65. Still have.
Early 70's joss $450. Sold for $850


eBay
Adam/Palmer prototype $29. Still have.

I'm sure there are others, these are just off the top of my head. Still looking for my $100 balabushka, but aren't we all.
 
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You didn't get stiffed, what you got was a dose of what you were trying to do.

You went in there trying to get something for hardly anything and either resell it, or have a really nice stick for pebbles. You thought ha ha, I found the one stick and I got them.

Ends up that the getter got got.

You got exactly what you paid for, and if you ended up getting a $25 stick and selling it for $100 you'd be right as rain.


naji said:
Maybe related, one day, 5 years ago i got stiffed by a Pawn shop, i bought a cue for $100.00; thinking it was a bargain, went back to the store a month later and find few similar cues! come to find out he bought few of them from an out of business pool shop by the dozen, for $25; mean store owner, was very happy he stiffed me!! luckily at the time, he threw a good case for the deal, which had a good tip shaper, cue holder, chalk, and few cheap tips! almost took them back!

Lesson to learn Pawn shop owners are pool cues experts and know how to check and search for cues and find exact value before they Pawn or buy a cue! or a watches or gold! at times they let go at good $$ if item did not sell quick! Google changed the world!!
Click to expand...
 
naji said:
Maybe related, one day, 5 years ago i got stiffed by a Pawn shop, i bought a cue for $100.00; thinking it was a bargain, went back to the store a month later and find few similar cues! come to find out he bought few of them from an out of business pool shop by the dozen, for $25; mean store owner, was very happy he stiffed me!! luckily at the time, he threw a good case for the deal, which had a good tip shaper, cue holder, chalk, and few cheap tips! almost took them back!

Lesson to learn Pawn shop owners are pool cues experts and know how to check and search for cues and find exact value before they Pawn or buy a cue! or a watches or gold! at times they let go at good $$ if item did not sell quick! Google changed the world!!
Click to expand...

I think 'stiffed' was the wrong word to use here. Also, it is hard to see how you went from thinking you got a bargain to being 'stiffed'. Did the cue look old, well made, fake logo, etc, or did you really not know what you were buying?
 
Once in a pawn shop in Arkansas I picked up a sideways W Josswest Merry Widow, 2 shafts, in a near mint Ann Gore case for $300 total. When I first inquired about it the guy said I didn't want that old stick, it was way overpriced.

Sold the Josswest on eBay for $550 I believe and sold the case for $425. This was about 12 years ago.

Here in Houston actually last year I picked up a Jerry Olivier Merry Widow, Mezz Power Break II and a nice case for $300 total.

The deals are out there, just takes a lot of legwork and weekly drop ins to find them
 
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