9-Ball
Topic: szamboti cue on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-SIGNED-GUS-SZAMBOTI-Pool-Cue_W0QQitemZ290119607898QQihZ019QQcategoryZ21212QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

over $15k already and still 6 days to go....OMG

Interesting to see what it eventually goes for.

What's your valuation Si?


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Every man dies, not every man truly lives...

Best cue to come on the market.......EVER, he, he!

Gus only made a handful of window cues. This one is a top, top end one, very fancy indeed. In the condition its in (which is very good and its a plus that its all original), I would have thought $35 - $45K. Could be more as this cue is in a different league to any other on the current market.

What I find funny is that it hovered around $4K until a few of us started talking about it on AZ Billiards and it immediately went to $15K that afternoon. See link.....

AZBilliards


There were some questions over the authenticity of this cue and wether or not the auction was fake but the seller has been identified as genuine and the cue is most definately available. I will stick my neck out and predict Bill Grassley or John Mars Jr as the winner of this auction.

Keep looking at this auction folks.....I think we will have a new winner of the 'Most Expensive Cue On Ebay, Ever' award.

As this cue will be at least 29 year old ( G.S. died in 1988 ) it would be interesting (to me at least) to see how it compares to modern cues in terms of playability, bearing in mind the technology that has been applied to cue making in recent years. Look at tennis raquets 30 years ago and how they play today, so I wonder if the same applies to cues. Wouldn't it be a nightmare if you spent $45k and discovered that it's not as good as your brand new $500 Predator!

I guess that's not the point though...

On 2007-05-22 12:09 , Huskler Wrote:

I have had to pleasure to borrow several cues from the diamond including a szamboti and i can assure you that the szamboti played better than any other cue i have hit with ...... it was amazing..........the age of the cue probably means it was better constructed compared with some of the modern "production"cues, it was made by someone who cared rather than a machine. Szamboti would have looked for quality whereas a machine looks for acceptability.

I also played with one of his i think about 35 year old schons and that was a different class of cue.

So my advice would be go custom or look for an older more handmade limited cue.

In terms of quality compare screwing a shaft onto a uniloc predator and screwing a shaft onto a uniloc searing...........the searing is a perfect fit the predator is an acceptable fit.

Si is the man to talk about this really, i've just been lucky enough to have played with some of his cues.


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Thanks for the info PC, I'll look forward to getting my hands on one someday. I've just bought a custom Viking, which is my first 'proper' American pool cue so I don't have anything to compare it with yet, although I still love it! I'm looking forward to trying some different cues though to see how it compares.... especially if 'The Diamond' was ever to hold a special cue showcase event for Pro9 members... I'd happily pay to play a rack with something a little different from the norm...



In fact, the biggest problem I had when buying a new cue was finding somewhere in the UK that lets you try different brands/models/weights to see what worked for me and what didn't. I didn't find anywhere, so I took the plunge and bought the best I could afford and I'm happy so far, although I still wonder what a Predator shaft or a different weight would be like etc.

I'm a newbie, but if this is a common problem maybe Pro9 could organise an event to let players try some different equipment, with a bit of exotica thrown in for fun. Just a suggestion...

Wooooooo!! Cue Expo! Now thats a good idea, Huskler!

I like it, I like it a lot!

that is a great idea !!!

i use a viking and will probally never be able to justify paying $40k on a cue but i would pay an entry fee to be able to play a few racks with different cues.

i promise i wont break with em si

in fact you could get people to bring there own cues so people thinking of buying new stuff could try

for instance huskler my cue has a 314 shaft.

as long as the clientel were sensible people i think it could work

I was thinking of serious players only, which would probably apply to registered members of this site. A fee would also detract the local chav from attending, so a properly organised Pro9 event would probably hit the mark pretty well.

I'd happily lend my cue to someone who I trusted to be of a good standard, and I run a standard Viking shaft so I'd love to try a 314!

As for the break... some dedicated jump/break cues would be good, as I'm looking to buy one right now and trying some different ones before I part with some cash would be great!

I like the idea of a travelling pro shop where a vast(?) range of cues are available to try. A great idea.

I was thinking more of a properly staged affair in a hotel lobby with dealers, collectors and enthusiasts. Get a couple of tables installed, get some top players, a few trick shot shows, put food on, licenced bar.......it would be the business!!!

Bill Stroud and Richard Black have done it in the US, if there is enough support with paid entry, why not do it over here?

sounds good to me!

Diamond, that's exactly what I was thinking too... a bit of brand support (Predator, Viking, Fury etc) with some pros to entertain the crowd. Nice venue, well organised, a bit of food and drink. I really like the Hotel Lobby idea, rather than a pool club, although a club would be easier to organise. Of course, if Brunswick took an interest...

There are over 600 registered members on here alone, so I don't think getting numbers will be a problem if it's the right venue in the right location. Getting the right event might also attract additional niche magazine/TV interest, especially if rarities like a szamboti cue were on display.

I've emailed Big Dave the link to this thread, so let's see what he comes back with. Everyone has been positive so far, so I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Come on guys... show us your support!

This cue is now up to $26,000....I think Si might be right...the dearest cue sold on ebay!

The dearest one I saw was a Southwest with a buy it now of $60k but it never sold.

I would love to see a cue exhibition, as would, I'm sure, a lot of other users of this site.

I just received these pictures from a Pro9'er who has recently visited Hawaii and took these photos of "Hawaiian" Brian's custom made Szam!









What do you reckon about this one then Si?

OMG!!!! That is simply awesome. I know Brian had a cue made by Gus but I didn't know Barry made him one. Infact, the Gus could be next to the Barry, it certainly looks like it in the first picture. Brian of course taught Rodney Morris the tricks of the trade and he also introduced him to the Szamboti family. Great pictures!!!!! Well done Expertfluke, I have always wanted to see one of Brian's Szamboti cues.

I own a number of Szamboti cues by both father and son but my number one favourite is the cue Barry made for me. The waiting list is 12 - 15 years for a cue and he stopped taking orders a few years ago so any potential buyers will always have to buy second hand. They are the most desirable cues on the planet, hence the prices they reach (Barry and Gus).

I have a very good relationship with Barry and he has promised me an interview for pro9. Now to say this is a big thing for the Billiard world is the understatement of the year, Barry isn't big on interviews these days as he is a busy man....and you can count the number of interviews he has done on one hand. Pro9 has the exclusive so watch this space. The day we print that, thousands of cue fans from AZ and other sites will be looking at Pro9, so best behaviour folks.

I will do an article on my own cues prior to the interview. I just have to get the courage to ring Barry and do it.

Dave......print the article I gave you and I will give you a few more.

Over $36,000 now. Contest is between 4 of the top collectors in the world. All of them know each other and 3 of them are good friends. I guess there is no love lost when one of the rarest cues in the universe comes up for sale.

Generally there is a small amount of etiquette when bidding on a cue a few of us want. No point in driving the price through the roof.

Knowing these guys and their respective bank balances (last year, one of them bought a Carrera GT and spent $350,000 modifying it), I think my $45K prediction could be in danger. Also, I bet the seller has been swarmed with offers to end the auction. Dilemma or what!!!

Blimey... I was just wondering how this was doing!

You were right Si....

Winning bid 55,100 dollars.....

Some people have more money than they know what to do with!

Will certainly has! I don't know the chap but apparently he owns 40 window cues from various makers including the first one ever made by Ginacue (made for the legend, Ed Kelly).

Will has been collecting for 30 years so I suppose he has a big head start on us all (and a bigger bank balance!).

Its gone to a good home.

I don't think we shall see a cue like that again for a long while.

The ebay record price for a cue has been smashed!