J. Rare cues:
Below
are some rare cues given their age and their unusual type.
1.
A kind of billiard 'cue - mace (*)' hybrid of which both ends
can be used to play. It is an old 'one-piece' cue provided with a mace
'head' at its butt end.
It has seven consecutive '4-point' splices, is 154 cm long, weighs 740 g and is inlaid with two signed white medallions. Its ivory ferrule is 14.5 mm in diameter and is tipped with leather.
The upper side of its mace 'head' is slightly concave as can be seen from the two photos below.
..........
Its central part (see photo left) is used as line of sight. The lower
side (see photo right) is flat and smooth and easily glides on the billiard
table cloth. The end striking or pushing the ball is covered with rubber.
This cue is probably the mace-like cue supplied by Dorfelder (Germany)
until the 1930s, described by Stein and Rubino (The Billiard Encyclopedia,1996,
p.100).
(*) The mace is the forerunner of the current billiard
cue (see Section Q).
2. A "Cue/Cane" probably made in Germany by Dorfelder before World War I (see p. 234 of Pool & Billiards Collectibles written by Mark & Connie Stellinga in 2003). The 87 cm long walking stick is hollow and its ivory ends both unscrew. A shaft, provided with a wood joint screw, an ivory ferrule and a 12 mm leather tip, is stored there.
It
can be quickly turned into a 140 cm long quality billiard cue
that weighs 480 or 510 g.
Here
are the 2 ends unscrewed.
The butt end/knob.on the left, into which the other end or the shaft srews, is carved.
3. A fancy turned 3-piece 'La Royale' (see Section A), more than 110 years old.
Its walnut butt is short (56cm) and is stamped with an oval logo (including initials J and A, an elephant and the name 'La Royale') and the inscriptions Adorjan, Modèle déposé, Patent, Bté S.G.D.G., France et Etranger.
4. An old Brunswick No. 134 with 'hexagonal' butt probably made of bubinga and inlaid with genuine mother-of-pearl. The dyed maple shaft is provided with a collar.
5. A cue that could be about 100 years old. The '4-point' butt is in ash and ebony. The butt end has a particular shape, as shown in the pictures of 2 perpendicular faces below.
It probably represents a stylized bee and is outstanding marquetry made of various woods and galalith.The bumper is in leather.
6. A very heavy cue of 720 g, most probably used to play artistic billiards or 'billard-golf' as in Belgium and other countries. Its butt of the usual length is signed 'MATCH''. It is weighed down with a 180 g sleeve, made of brass and two metals, and is quite ancient because the long screw of its large end is in wood.
7. A 2-piece copper cue even heavier (820 g) than the preceding one. More decorative than efficient !
8. The very old (more than 150 years) Finck carved cue No. 88,
in 2 parts with sturdy ends fitted together without collar with a long wood joint screw (see below).
9. A gilded one-piece cue, sculpted with Art Deco multicoloured motifs. It used to belong to the Henin family.
Length = 141 cm. Weight = 531 g. Butt end diameter = 35 mm and tip diameter = 14 mm.
