Hunt & O'Byrne 3/4 Cue

[Oldgit]

I worked in the middle east from 1980 until 1984 and decided to get myself a handmade cue. With 'money no object' in early 1985 I contacted Hunt & Obyrne and they sent me a brochure with prices and I also contacted John Parris.............Jimmy White was using a H&O cue at that time but Steve Davis was in his prime then and he used John Parris which is why I decided to ask John to make me a cue. I waited about 8 or 9 months for the cue and when John finally sent it to me the good old Royal Mail managed to break it in transit.......so John made me another cue which meant another long wait!! I still have the first cue that was broken as I got a carpenter mate so repair it and the cue is still straight and almost impossible to see the break!!

Anyway.........I still remember the H&O brochure and the huge prices for their cues. I think the top of the range cue that they made in 1985 was £500, and I seem to remember that John Parris charged me around £350.

To answer the original posters question having bought and sold quite a few black plate H&O cues over the years, if your cue is in pristine original condition then I can easily see it selling for around the £1000 mark, especially if you are willing to sell to the Far East where H&O cues are really sought after.

Oldgit

[dliu317]

Possibly around the £1000 mark, maybe more on a good day
See ebay for a similar one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT
This is from a well known "overpricer" , but yours has the advantage of a nice sought after case. If you are prepared to send to Hong Kong say, you will be offered a better price no doubt

I also saw this cue on ebay and had a little doubt about the joint. it was a quick release joint not the thick joint that hunt & obyrne normally use. and now that picture has been taken off. you cannot see joint in any of those pictures.

[terrywcw]

Hi daveraybould, I offer 550 + postage to you your cue.
My email is terrywcw@gmail.com

[daveraybould]

I worked in the middle east from 1980 until 1984 and decided to get myself a handmade cue. With 'money no object' in early 1985 I contacted Hunt & Obyrne and they sent me a brochure with prices and I also contacted John Parris.............Jimmy White was using a H&O cue at that time but Steve Davis was in his prime then and he used John Parris which is why I decided to ask John to make me a cue. I waited about 8 or 9 months for the cue and when John finally sent it to me the good old Royal Mail managed to break it in transit.......so John made me another cue which meant another long wait!! I still have the first cue that was broken as I got a carpenter mate so repair it and the cue is still straight and almost impossible to see the break!!

Anyway.........I still remember the H&O brochure and the huge prices for their cues. I think the top of the range cue that they made in 1985 was £500, and I seem to remember that John Parris charged me around £350.

To answer the original posters question having bought and sold quite a few black plate H&O cues over the years, if your cue is in pristine original condition then I can easily see it selling for around the £1000 mark, especially if you are willing to sell to the Far East where H&O cues are really sought after.

Oldgit

Cheers for the detailed reply, much appreciated. I thought some more about the time I bought it because your mention of "money no object" jogged my memory.

I had just started a new job as a service engineer and I couldn't believe my luck. There was as much overtime as you wanted so being in my early/mid 20s I was grabbing as much as I could. I was also doing other engineers' callout duties so I was getting 3 week's wages for 1 week's work! I had plenty of spare cash so I also contacted H&O John Parris about handmade cues. I went for H&O because Jimmy White was using one and everyone at my snooker club was raving about this new 3/4 butt cue.

I phoned them first and they gave me a brief idea about what was available. I wanted their top handmade cue but I didn't want any inserts like Bird's Eye Maple, I just wanted a plain ebony butt a la Jimmy White. As with most people who had too much money I was bouncing around hoping to get hold of this cue. They invited me to their premises and I went along a week later. I was expecting to leave with a shiny new cue but boy was I wrong and slightly deflated. I went in and they showed me other cues so I could decide which weight, balance, tip size, length suited me etc. I naively assumed they would then do a "Blue Peter" and produce "one that I made earlier" Unfortunately they then took me into a room where they had some ash blanks - literally hundreds of them I was then told I could choose from their best blanks because I was having their top cue. It then dawned on me that there would be no "Blue Peter" movement as one of them mentioned they had to shape it by hand slowly over months to ensure there was no bowing of the blank. I left in something of a daze, the excitement had gone and I had no cue to take home

It was quite a few months before I had a call to say my shiny new cue was ready. They mentioned their concern about delivery so I wanted to drive up to London and collect it. When "Oldgit" mentioned his Parris cue being smashed it brought it back to me. When I got to H&O I realised I had no case, my current one was for a 1/2 butt or 1 piece so not suitable. I went mad and bought the Green Leather Cheddar Classics case....it certainly wasn't cheap! I was awash with cash at that time; I knew the cost of everything and the value of nothing!

I had a few messages from people asking how I could have such a rare cue and not remember much detail about where I bought it, how much it cost and how much it is sought after these days. Well to be honest when I went and bought the cue I had no idea that H&O would go out of business, they would make so few cues and that they would attract a "cult" following.

Dliu317 - Thanks for the mention about the joint, that also made me remember something about the cue. About 2/3 years ago I saw message on a site (not this one) about a guy who wanted to buy an H&O cue. He said "it was the only cue he didn't have in his collection" so I contacted him. I sent him pictures and he was very keen to see a picture of the joint. I was also contacted by a few others. There was no feedback from this guy so I asked him if he'd changed his mind. He said "mine was a thick joint and he wanted a quick fit style joint". He then made me an offer of £300 offering to take it "off my hands despite it having the wrong joint type" I had messages from others saying my cue had a genuine joint as used by H&O - I must admit I was feeling concerned myself at that time despite knowing I had personally collected the cue from H&O. Anyway I think he was just trying it on to try and get it cheap....he failed in that regard!

The wife is also going mental saying I shouldn’t sell it, history, nostalgia, family heirloom etc. I’ll have to wait and see what transpires before I make a decision.

Thanks again to everyone who replied to this thread, I am very grateful to all of you.

[G30 MC]

H&O Cue

Heed her in door's fella, This cue will only go up in value. Jimmy's cue sold for something like £1800 on ebay:snooker:

[daveraybould]

Heed her in door's fella, This cue will only go up in value. Jimmy's cue sold for something like £1800 on ebay:snooker:

Yes mate, I am starting to think like that now. If I'm really honest just describing the cue on here has brought back some great memories.I have a good friend who's been trying to buy this cue from me for years and I've always resisted. I'm the sort of person who buys something (admittedly in those days I had more money than sense) and then looks after it. The cue is as good now as it was the day I bought it so perhaps it's time to get back to the local club and have a few frames of snooker. Mind you soon as somebody sees me with the Hunt and O'Byrne cue they'll probably start wanting to buy it from me.

I had another look at that cue on eBay and the other guy from here is correct the pictures of the joint of been removed which does make me slightly suspicious because my joint looks nothing like that one did.

I'm going to have a good chat with 'er indoors tonight and probably make a decision on what to do with it.

Thanks again to one and all

[daveraybould]

Yes mate, I am starting to think like that now. If I'm really honest just describing this queue on here has brought back some great memories.I have a good friend who's been trying to buy this queue from me for years and I've always resisted. I'm the sort of person who buys something (admittedly in those days I had more money than sense) and then looks after it. The queue is as good now as it was the day I bought it so perhaps it's time to get back to the local club and have a few frames of snooker. Mind you soon as somebody sees me with the Hunt and O'Byrne cue they'll probably start wanting to buy it from me.

I had another look at that queue on eBay and the other guy from here is correct the pictures of the joint of been removed which does make me slightly suspicious because my joint looks nothing like that one did.

I'm glad I have a good chat with 'er indoors tonight and probably make a decision on what to do with it.

Thanks again to one and all

Sorry that should have read "the cue is as good...." This dictation software doesn't like snooker!!

[G30 MC]

H&O Cue

If you are in london? Take it to Robert Osborne in tooting for a re-finish, As far as i am aware Robert worked at HUNT&O'BRYNE.:snooker: Cheer's George

[daveraybould]

Some pictures

I was asked for some more pictures so I have added these.

I've done some more digging and also had some great info from other players and collectors. They asked me some questions about the cue and this has helped to date it. The cue does not have a screw thread on the butt end, it just has a leather end. This apparently suggests it is one of the earlier cues of its type made by H&O. It also suggests that the one listed on Ebay for £1000 is possibly a hybrid because H&O apparently never used that kind of joint.

I think at the end of the day it will come down to the offers I can get for it. That will determine if I sell it or not.

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed to this thread.

[Kiwi]

H & O Joints

Some of the joints used in H & O cues, such as the black plate one sold recently on ebay, were made by Aeon of Coventry who are no longer in business. Aeon made a very good bayonet type quick release joint and H & O used them on cues if the customer wanted a quick release joint rather than a conventional one. Call Robert Osborne, I am sure he can confirm that.

[Kiwi]

I also recall reading somewhere, many years ago, that Aeon also made cues for H & O. If that is correct that would also explain why some H & O cues have the bayonet type joints. I've got 2 H & O 3/4 jointed cues and one has the Aeon type joint and the other the conventional joint. Both are lovely cues. Also have a couple of Aeon cues and it's a pity they are no longer in business because both are very well made and play weill.

[DWOT]

Looks a really nice cue, but way out of my price range.

Happy days either way for you, sell it and you make a nice bit of cash or keep it and you've got a collectors item for the future....

[kezman]

I was asked for some more pictures so I have added these.

I've done some more digging and also had some great info from other players and collectors. They asked me some questions about the cue and this has helped to date it. The cue does not have a screw thread on the butt end, it just has a leather end. This apparently suggests it is one of the earlier cues of its type made by H&O. It also suggests that the one listed on Ebay for £1000 is possibly a hybrid because H&O apparently never used that kind of joint.

I think at the end of the day it will come down to the offers I can get for it. That will determine if I sell it or not.

Thanks again to everyone who has contributed to this thread.

Hi, if you interesting to sell this cue please email me some more pictures of the cue. I would not recommend you sending this cue abroad. My offer stand as £800 for the set, i think it is very top offer. Interesting email me to kezman1711@aol.com dont forget to enclose your contact details.

[daveraybould]

I want to thank everyone for their contribution to this thread and to those people who made offers.

I have thought long and hard and decided to keep it. I hope that one day my son will be able to enjoy it and appreciate it as I have.

Thanks again

[nevets]

I want to thank everyone for their contribution to this thread and to those people who made offers.

I have thought long and hard and decided to keep it. I hope that one day my son will be able to enjoy it and appreciate it as I have.

Thanks again

That's nice.

Good decision I think.