What is a Meucci Pro Billiards Tour cue worth?

I just got a comment from Lonnie asking...

"I have a rare meucci cue, don’t know the exact model #, but it is a “pro billiards tour” cue, and I’d like to know what I should ask for it to sell?"

I thought others might benefit from this information, so I decided to make a post trying to give Lonnie some more detailed information.  I will tell you that I haven't seen Lonnie's cue, so I don't know what model it is or if has some unusual aspect that would make it worth more (i.e. a signature or attachment to someone famous).

From what I know, these cues were not any different than Meucci's standard production cue models, with the exception that they were inlayed with the "Pro Billiards Tour" logo.  I believe the production of these cues were made in the mid 90's for only a few years that coincided with the Pro Billiards Tour...remember the glory days, when big tobacco Camel was putting tons of cash into the tour.  That was exciting for a while.  This limited production time-frame, makes these cues less common.  This probably is not enough "uniqueness" to elevate these cues to a really desirable status, unless one cue has a unique story behind it or some kind of association with a big event or person.

Also, let me preface this with this statement.  This analysis is for the purpose of finding the "market" value of this cue.  Many people will give cues an "emotional" value that is greater than what someone is willing to pay.  So keep this in mind...I'm not trying to offend any Meucci cue fans out there.

Meucci Pro Billiards Tour auction research....

This link goes to an Ebay auction listing for a Meucci Pro Billiards Tour Cue that sold for 2. The previous Ebay auction listing ended on 9/14/11.  There were 4 people bidding on this cue, so that shows some interest in that cue in the $190 to $250 range.

Current Meucci Pro Billiards Tour Auctions...

Meucci Pro Billiards Tour Pool Cue Stick With Case 20oz    US $399.95

Vintage Meucci 97 6 Pro Billiard Tour Cue With Porper 1x2 Case    US $149.95

Meucci Pro Billiards Tour Viking Pool Cue Action Pool Case    US $2,500.00

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Another example...Below is a video of a Meucci 95-21 Pro Billiards Tour cue.  I saw discussion on AZ's forum regarding this same model cue in 2010.  The common opinion was that it was worth about $250 to $350...maybe $400, but probably on the low side of those estimates based on how soft the cue market was then and continues to be, today.  Several years ago, this cue, and the ones mentioned above, may have brought $400+ in an auction or retail, but the market for cues has taken a big hit, especially for Meucci.

Video of another Meucci Pro Billiards Tour cue:

Meucci Pro Billiards Tour classifieds research....

I found a few classified ads that seemed to suggest the same trend.  An unsold listing for $500.  A "reduced price" listing in Florida reduced to $200.

In today's market, it looks like these cues are selling for around $200 to $250.   It is definitely a buyers market for pool cues in general.  You don't want to sell, today, unless it is absolutely necessary, especially for production cues...even limited production models.

I hope this helps someone.

Cheers,
Skippy

The Original Post is Located Here: Meucci Pro Billiards Tour Cues

Check out the most recent cue review at CueZilla.com.  This is a classic cue made by the master cuemaker, Paul Fanelli.  Paul's mastery of points, especially butterfly points is tremendous.  I encourage you to check the reviews at CueZilla.com and give them your opinion.

Cheers,
Skippy

The Original Post is Located Here: A Monster Paul Fanelli Cue

This is such a cool idea...I just had to share it with you. Shawn Smith of FT Gibson in Oklahoma (AKA FTGoki on the AZ forums) put together a custom cue building contest.

He found 6 custom pool cuemakers to participate in his grand idea. They all agreed to build a cue to the same basic specifications. Then, the cues would be sent to pre-selected (LUCKY) players around the country for them to evaluate how the cues play, look, feel, etc. The cues do not have any identifying marks, so the participants don't know who made them.

That's what makes this so cool. They will be giving a totally unbiased opinion of the cues.
In the video below, Shawn is showing the cues that have been made by the cuemakers.  The case was made and supplied by John Barton of JBcases.com (his cases are THE BEST, IMHO).   Now, these cues will travel to the participants for their review.  I can't wait to see what they have to say.

I forgot to mention that the cues and cases are going to be raffled-off to one lucky winner, when this project is completed, so stay tuned.  I'll keep you well informed.  I'll try to get more details from Shawn on the progress of his American Cue Build-off.

Here is a list of requirements that were given to the cue builders (from PoolGoog.com )

Cheers,
Skippy

The Original Post is Located Here: The Great American Cue Build-Off

I love this cue!  This is classic Gus Szamboti work.  It isn't fancy, but in my mind it is what a cue is "supposed" to look like.  I'd love to be able to play with a Gus Szamboti cue to see how it plays.

This cue is owned by the legendary Danny DiLiberto and was used to achieve his personal best run of 14.1, which must have been a pretty big run.

This is Danny DiLiberto's personal Gus Szamboti cue.

This cue is featured over at Cuezilla.com .  If you haven't checked out that site, you should.  They have some very unique cues that you can enjoy and give your rating and opinions.  It is a great site for cue enthusiasts.

Here is their description of the cue...

The pictured Gus Szamboti cue features four ebony points each with four veneers of black/mahogany/blue/natural into a Birdseye maple nose. The butt is Ebony with Birdseye Maple boxes and two stitch rings. The cue is all original and was made for Danny Deliberto. There is documentation that makes claim to it being used in Danny’s highest run in 14.1 straight pool. This cue also features four Ivory spearhead inlays in the base of the points...(go to Cuezilla... )

I love the look of a full-spliced cue and the classic spear-heads that Gus used in his designs.  This cue may seem very plain to many pool players and cue fans, but I love the classic design of this cue.

What do you think of this cue?  If you've played with a Gus Szamboti cue, let me know what your experience was.

Cheers,
Skippy

P.S.  Gus' son, Barry, is now carrying on the family legacy and makes some awesome cues as well.

The Original Post is Located Here: Classic Szamboti Cue on Cuezilla

Hi folks. I was contacted by one of my readers about a Jim Rempe meucci cue that he acquired.

This cue is pretty cool. It has an inlaw (or scrimshaw?) that is an outline of Jim Rempe in his shooting stance. I've never seen this Meucci pool stick before. Have you?

He is trying to get some background on it and find out if any others were produced. Check out the pictures below. Please, comment if you have any insights, questions or facts about this particular Meucci cue stick. My readers are GREAT...I'm sure someone out there has seen this vintage Meucci before.

Rare Jim Rempe Meucci cue - complete cue.

Meucci cue picture 1

Meucci Pool Cue picture 2

Rare Jim Rempe Cue pic 3

Rare Jim Rempe Meucci cue - butt cap.

Rare Jim Rempe Meucci cue - butt cap closeup

Leave a comment or contact me if you have any helpful information or thoughts about this cue.

Cheers,
Skippy

P.S. Check out the great deals on Meucci cue sticks on this page.

The Original Post is Located Here: Rare Jim Rempe Meucci Cue: Have you seen this before?

Recently, I was contacted by someone who has a rare Jim Rempe series Meucci pool cue.  We discussed the cue and were trying to determine it's history and value.  This cue is pretty cool.   The first thing you notice is the extra insert that splits up the wrap area.

Vintage Meucci Pool Cue: Jim Rempe's JR Special

Check out the insert and graphics inside the wrap area.

Vintage Jim Rempe Meucci pool cue

I've never seen a Meucci pool cue quite like it before.  You can tell to look at it that it is from the 80's time-period.  If you don't know, Jim Rempe was "The King" back then.  He was still playing world-class pool and was the face of meucci cues.  There were many pro pool players sponsored by Meucci back then, but Rempe was the leader of the pack, IMHO.

I was hoping that someone out there that might know more about it.  The owner purchased the cue brand new some time in the late 80's from a cue dealer named Joe Davitt (I think).  He had talked with Jim Rempe about the cue years ago.  Rempe called the cue a "JR Special" and thought it could be quite valuable.  Also, he talked to Bob Meucci (Owner of Meucci Cues) about the cue.  Bob thought it was a rare cue with a very limited production of maybe 50 cues.  That being said, it looks like this Meucci pool cue is quite unique and valuable.

UPDATE (8/5/11):  I don't know if this particular Meucci pool cue is still available, but I've seen a few around if you are looking for one.

Collectible Muecci Cue with very few produced

JR Special Meuccie Cue - Forearm

He might part with the cue someone is serious about acquiring it.  He has the original shaft that came with the cue.  He also has an It's George eelskin case that he purchased at the same time 20+ years ago...

NOTE:  This article is quite old and this Meucci pool cue is probably not available.

It's George Eelskin tube cue case

Do you have any ideas about the history or value of this cue?  If so, please comment below or send me a personal message through my contact me page .

If your interested in making an offer on this cue, contact me through my conact page or call me at 240.344.6035

Cheers,
Skippy

The Original Post is Located Here: Vintage Collectible Meucci Pool Cue

Every time I go to a yard sale or public auction, I always look for vintage or collectible billiards equipment, especially old pool cues.  I always dream of finding some lost gem like an old Herman Rambow, George Balabushka or Frank Paradise cue that someone had tucked away in their basement or garage.  Of course, I've never found anything that was worth much, but it is fun looking.  Many times people don't know the value of items that they have.  

If you have similar interests, you might want to check out some of the listings on this page to get a feel for what old cues look like.  Sometimes they don't look like much, compared to the elaborate cues that are so commonplace today.  These listings can give you a good idea of what these types of cues are worth.  

If you are even considering searching for or buying a new or vintage cue, then you really should pick up a copy of the Blue Book of Pool Cues
.  This book is an invaluable resource for learning about the history of cuemaking and the components and tools used to construct a cue.  The book is on its third edition now.  The author, Brad Simpson, has put a ton of work into each edition to continually add more and more value and great information.  Whether your looking for classic cues from Gus Szambotti or from modern masters like Richard Black, this book is filled with information and contact information for most cuemakers.   Almost 300 pages longer than the 2nd Edition, this new book is packed with illustrations, images and loads of new information on cue makers, cue models, and up-to-date pricing. There are many color images.

This book is worth every penny. At Amazon, you can look inside the book before you buy.

There is another book that I highly recommend. It is The Billiard Encyclopedia . It is now on its third edition, too. I bought this book when the first edition came out. This is a great book. It is jam-packed full of historical information about billiards. It has lots of great illustrations and photos throughout. It is the type of book that is a good "coffee table" book that looks great and is a good conversation piece, even to those that aren't die-hard pool fans. There are sections on legendary cue makers that is a great resource for people that want to learn more about collecting. I have to tell you, this book is hard to find. If you find one and can afford it, you should buy it. I'll post the link to Amazon, sometimes they have copies available.

I did another search for you to find a copy, below...

The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards Complete    US $14.98

The Billiards Encyclopedia Victor Stein Paul Rubino    US $500.00

THE NEW ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BILLIARDS MIKE SHAMOS PAPERBACK NEW    US $20.30

THE BILLIARD ENCYCLOPEDIA AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE SPORT 1996    US $252.00

The Billiard Encyclopedia Stein Rubino New First Edition    US $99.95

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I hope you find these resources helpful to you. Searching for and collecting vintage cues can be very rewarding. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions or tips that could help others.

Cheers,
Skippy

The Original Post is Located Here: Collecting Antique/Vintage Cues

The guys at TheActionReport.com (TAR) covered the International Cue Collectors Show earlier in the year. Below is the video feed that is on their site. This video is 3 hours of interviews with great custom cue makers and prominent cue collectors. If your a fan of great custom cue craftsmenship, you don't want to miss this video. If your looking for a custom cue or would like to find out more about custom cues check out the video.
The video interviews the following cuemakers and collectors...

Jim Brennan (cue collector...Jimboarmy.com )
Dennis Searing (cuemaker)
Bill Schick (cuemaker)
Andy Gilbert (cuemaker)
Bill Stroud (cuemaker...Josswest )
Paul Drexler (cuemaker...pfd Studios )
Ken Kerner (cue collector/sales...highendcues.com )
Will Prout

You'll also see some great cues from other cuemakers like Phillippi, Arthur Queue, Palmer, Balabushka and much more.

It is amazing to me how these cuemakers and collectors keep coming up with new and innovative cue designs pushing the limits of what we think is possible. There are some nice examples of cues with scrimshaw work, by Bill Schick, too. That guy is really talented.

I would like to thank Justin at TAR for taking the time and effort to travel to the ICCS show and capture some great footage and information from some interesting cuemakers and collectors.  I encourage all of my readers to check out TheActionReport.com for great pool match videos and information about great cuemakers.  I really enjoyed the video.  Someday I hope to attend a show.

Cheers,
Skippy

The Original Post is Located Here: TAR: Custom Cue Makers Interview