JOSS WEST
80s ERA VINTAGE EBONY BOX CUE
WITH IVORY AND SILVER
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Here is a rare and unique find that might make a true collector break out in goose bumps - built in 1988 and still never chalked - the biggest cue Bill Stroud was building at the time. This one has been in a collection since the day it was sold and remains in new condition.
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This cue is all original and has never been refinished. For a cue that is 37 years old, it is in excellent condition - never played or even chalked. It's been in a private collection for many years and is a remarkable find.
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In the 1980s you couldn't find a bigger or fancier cue built by Stroud. This design was the culmination of all his previous work, using all his skills and expertise at the time. And, it was light years ahead of almost all of his competitors.
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One of the things most unique about this particular stick is that he used silver bars inlaid into the ends of the boxes. In almost all of the designs like this that he built he used red veneers instead of the silver bars. He was likely building this for a special customer.
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A lot of ivory in this stick - in the boxes and rings, the long hexagons surrounding the boxes, and especially in the butt sleeve. And of course, the ferrules.
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| The butt sleeve is mostly ivory. He started with a solid ivory sleeve, inlaid the big veneered boxes, and then in those inlaid long ivory hexagons with pointed ends and silver bars.
The date of build (1988) is clearly engraved in the black delrin butt cap.
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He uses two different sets of rings. Above and below the wrap he uses one of his favorite ring patterns - ivory diamonds with red veneers connecting them. Then at the joint, he uses a double ivory ring with alternating ivory and ebony squares. You get the feeling he was loading this cue up with everything he had at the time.
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| I studied and examined this cue for a couple of hours before I realized that in the boxes in the forearm he used a natural maple veneer on the outside, a very thick red veneer in the middle and finally a black veneer to frame them. Then, interestingly, in the boxes in the butt sleeve, he reverses the order, using the black on the outside. I'm sure he did this because of the different background. Against the ebony forearm the lighter maple veneer looks best, but in the butt sleeve, against the ivory background, the black looks best.
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With all the accoutrements on this cue, it's almost easy to overlook the fact that it's an all ebony cue. This stick hits a ton.
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Also a favorite element of his sticks at the time, he wraps it with a white/grey speckled Irish linen. The majority of his sticks at the time had either this white/grey wrap or a light green.
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Also typical of his cues at the time, he built it with a stainless steel piloted joint, with a 5/16X14 steel pin. It comes with the two original 13mm shafts, still brand new, with long ivory ferrules.
Everything about this cue is original. The finish is very nice with no dings or scratches. It weighs 20.0 ounces, is 58 inches long and everything is straight.
This cue is a rare find. It is the best of Stroud's work for this era, and it is still unplayed after all these years.
PRICE: $9800 PLUS SHIPPING
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