9-Ball
Topic: * Charity Cue Auction *

£106

This cue's beaten me so many times that I've lost count!
(I beat it once tho!)
Just to get the value up to it's proper area!
$1000.
(With rates as they are this is currently £600)
Stop messing about people!
Jon.
P.S. I would really like this cue but this is my one and only bid!


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Good grief that's a big jump, is that a serious bid Jon? It's very generous of you if it is!

Wow.

Dave you need to abuse your mod powers and put a decimal point in that bid somewhere !!

I didn't do it - honest guv'nor!

I'm trying to find the beauty photo of Steve Knight's old cue that was reconditioned by the lucky cue collector who secured it... It was a dark cue with a striking white wrap originally, but it was professionally refurbished with a much more complimentary black lizard wrap... It looked absolutely mint when it was done, totally stunning to feel the lizard wrap, very classy and classic - and something you could be really proud of owning.

Owning a cue that previously belonged to a celebrity owner or a cue that has an interesting back-story is a lot of fun, and frankly, Tommy's rich stockpile of anecdotes with this cue make it worth every penny.

If anyone would like to bid but would rather preserve their anonymity then I will accept telephone bids on my number given below and I will not reveal your identity.


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I've found a nice picture of Tommy with the cue, and a "What's In The Case" article about Tommy by Simon D'Vali... How appropriate!

You can read the full article by The Diamond right here at Pro9!

And here's what should happen to retired, knackered, cracked, tarnished, scratched, worn out old cues that have served their former masters well, previously owned by the great and the good.

This is the "before and after" photo of Steve Knight's old Bear cue. Note the old cue has a slightly darker, patina-like stain and the lacquer coating is heavily chipped.

You can clearly see the vast improvement after the fantastic renovation and black lizard wrap upgrade - just like new, but if only it could talk - the tales it could tell!



Many thanks to the new owner for sending me a selection of images - yet again!

Big Dave, who did the reconditioning and re-wrap of the cue?

My Bear needs a bit of work doing to it but hadn't yet bothered as I didn't realise how good the results could be.

Cheers.

Yeah, it's amazing what they can do with a totally broken cue, I'll find some pictures and show you all in a bit!

that is one gorgeous looking bear pool cue. any ideas on where one can purchase them from?

Kenny Murrell did all the restoration on the Steve Knight Bear cue.

He did a great job - kinda wish I'd never sold it now ;-(

Who owns it now?

I have a reply from a query I made to Kenny Murrell...

"Hi Big Dave,

I do repairs along with building cues, but much prefer to build than to do repairs.

A refinish to a cue can change the value of a cue depending on who built the cue and if the owner was famous. This mainly refers to collectors though and the general cue buying public wants a nice looking cue without allot of dents or dings and finish problems.

Adding a new wrap to a cue can change the entire look of a cue and can add to the value of the cue. Unless the cue is wrapped in original cortland irish linen, changing a wrap does little to the value of even collector cues.

Many cues have to be evaluated as to whether the cost of repairs is greater than the perceived cost of the cue. It would not be worth the money to refinish and wrap a cue that can be replaced for less money. I do not repair major construction components of cues from makers that are still alive. This can be a real problem trying to determine what the original maker did to build the cue and can also devalue the cue. If the maker is still alive, it is always best to have them repair the cue and put if back to original status.

With that said,
A general refinish runs $150 and includes the finished portion of the shafts. A hardwood handle cue (or no wrap cue) adds $40 to the cost. This typically includes the finished portion of the shafts also and a general cleaning and reconditioning of the shafts. To refinish a cue with a wrap, the wrap normally has to be removed and replaced.

A new linen wrap is $45, leather wraps start at $100 and go up to $350 for an elephant ear wrap. Lizard is $250 for standard colors and can be allot more expensive to find a specific color in the correct size. Most leathers are black or a shade of brown as standard.

Other repairs to be done may include shafts. Shafts start at $125 and go up depending on ferrule, tip, and ring work that has to be made to match the original and are priced on an individual basis.

Repairs to pins and butt caps are hard to determine because of what may have to be done to effect the repair. I have to have those in hand to evaluate prior to giving a price to repair.

Any other work necessary from replacing joints, repairs to forearms, replacing handles, etc have to be evaluated with the cue in hand.

All prices are in US currency and do not include shipping.

I hope this is what you were looking for and helps. If you have any questions or I did not cover an area of interest, just let me know and I can address it for you.

Warmest regards and keep up the great work on the site, if is full of interesting and enlightening information!
Kenny"



Kenneth Murrell Custom Cues
317 Shirley Drive Panama City, Fl. 32404
850-871-0723

Just to let you know....Kenny Murrell is a great guy and a great cue maker. He has done lots of work for me and I rate him up there with the best.

If you call him about a project, you will not regret it.

Si