In the game of pool, the most important tool that a player has at their disposal is their trusty pool cue. This helpful piece of equipment is one of the pillars that the game stands upon, and without it, the game just wouldn’t be the same.
When you decide to get more serious with the game, you may choose to purchase your very own personal pool cue or find other means of getting a hold of one.
Perhaps a family member has passed down a pool cue to you through generations, or you picked one up at a yard sale and don’t have any idea about its origins.
If you ever feel the need to sell your cue or just want to know how much it could fetch for on the market, you’re going to need to figure out how much it’s worth.
That’s why we’ve compiled some simple steps that you can take so that you can identify the worth of your pool cue. Read on to learn more.
Why It’s Worth Knowing the Worth of Your Cue?
It may not seem like something that is very important, but learning how much your pool cue is worth can be a big help, especially if you decide that you want to sell it someday down the line.
Some cues are worth thousands of dollars, with the most expensive cue in the world costing $150,000. Perhaps your personal cue could fetch a reasonable price without you even being aware of it.
It is not uncommon for serious pool players to spend $1,000 to $2,000 on a dependable cue, so if yours was passed down to you by someone who loved the game, it might be worth a pretty penny.
Pool cues tend to be a “get what you paid for” type of item. Many cheaper cues will retain their price and be of lower quality than more expensive and better-crafted cues.
Vintage cues and those which have been very well made will either remain close to their original purchase price or even rise in worth, depending on various factors (which we will cover momentarily).
If you are not the original owner of your pool cue, you definitely want to figure out how much the cue is worth.
Whether it was passed down to you by a friend or family member or if you picked it up used at a yard sale or by some other means, learning how much your pool cue is worth will be a huge help should you ever decide to sell it off again in the future.
Factors That Can Impact the Worth of Your Pool Cue
When trying to figure out the overall worth of your pool cue, there are a few things that you want to look at. Just a few of the things that you will want to look for that can help to give you an idea of how much your pool cue is worth include the following:
- Brand
- Model
- Materials
- Design
- Quality
- Condition
- Performance
- Age
These factors will determine the worth of your cue, either by a little bit or sometimes by quite a lot, and will serve to give you the best idea of how much your trusty cue can fetch for.
We will now cover each of these factors a bit more in-depth so that you can get a better idea of what exactly it is that you should be looking for when trying to figure out how much your pool cue is worth, starting with the brand.
1. Brand
Perhaps the most obvious thing to look for when identifying how much your pool cue is worth is learning what brand it is. The brand of your cue will play a huge role in determining how much it is worth and, therefore, how much it can be sold for.
Not sure about brand? Learn how to identify pool cues.
Some pool cues may only be worth $20 or $30, and these tend to be made by budget brands that you would find at your local retail stores, such as Walmart or Target.
More expensive cues are made by specialty shops or manufacturers and can be worth around $400 or $500.
Custom cues that have been handcrafted by manufacturers such as Lucasi, Rage, or Dufferin can retail for prices over $1,000 and most often can sell for even more than their original selling price if they are still in good condition.
2. Model
For pool cues that are not customized, you will want to take a look and see what the model of the cue is. Depending on what model the pool cue is, the price may be high or low.
Different models of budget brand cues will most likely not impact how much your cue is worth, very much.
More expensive cues, such as Meucci and McDermott, produce many different types of pool cue models. Some of their pool cues only cost around $100, while they also produce cues closer to $1,000 and sometimes even more.
Knowing whether or not you have a base model or a more advanced model of pool cue can help to determine just how much the cue is worth.
3. Materials
The materials that your pool cue is made out of will also impact how much it is worth.
More expensive materials would drive the price up by quite a bit, while cheaper and more common materials can keep it down and even reduce the price if the materials used to make the cue are known not to be very durable.
Pool cues are most commonly feature wood as their base component, with other materials such as graphite, fiberglass, and even metal making up different parts of the cue.
Some types of wood can reach well into the thousands, with some wood types costing $10,000 or more for just 2 pounds.
4. Quality
The quality of the cue tends to go hand-in-hand with the brand, model, and materials used in making the cue. Oftentimes it is quite clear how well a cue is made just by looking at it.
Needless to say, if you own a well-built pool cue, then the value of the cue will most likely be worth more.
5. Design
The design of your pool cue will also determine how much it is worth. Some pool cue models have a standard design that a manufacturer will create. The crafter of the cue may sometimes release a rare or custom design for a specific purpose.
These rarer designs may increase the worth of your cue, especially if they are highly sought after. Keep an eye out for a unique pattern or design on your cue that sets it apart from many others.
6. Condition
If your cue is in good or near-mint condition, then it will fetch for quite a lot more than a cue that has been beaten up and used.
Generally, cues that remain in great condition and can still offer usefulness to the owner will be worth a lot more than one that has seen better days.
7. Performance
Taking into account how well the pool cue performs is another important thing to check when determining how much it is worth. Not all cues that are in great condition and are made by reputable brands will perform well.
If the cue has warped over time or suffers some other issues that can impact performance, then it will most likely be worthless because of it.
8. Age
Vintage pool cues may still be worth a decent amount due to collectors seeking them out. Even if they cannot be used to play the game anymore due to their age and condition, older pool cues can still be worth a decent amount if they are popular with collectors.
Besides cue, vintage pool balls are equally rare and costly. If you own an authentic set, you can surely get a good price for that. Here you can learn how to identify vintage pool balls and spot counterfeits.
So, How Much Is Your Cue Really Worth?
Now that you know some of the basic factors that can impact the worth of your cue, we can get into determining a price. We have separated this section into four parts:
- Custom Cues
- High-End Cues
- Mid-Range Cues
- Entry-Level Cues
We will cover each of these categories shortly so that you can get a better idea of exactly how much your pool cue is worth.
Custom Pool Cues
By far, these are the type of cues that are worth the most. Often a custom cue will cost at least $1,500 and usually are worth even more. The high price of these cues can be attributed to the materials used and the customized aspect of the cue.
What usually makes custom cues worth so much are the materials used in making them. As discussed earlier, exotic and rare wood can cost a pretty penny, and that is what tends to make these cues cost so much.
Quality wood and other materials alone will set the price of a custom pool cue around $1,000, and that isn’t even taking into account the technology that can be integrated into the cue.
If you are looking to sell off your custom pool cue and it is in good condition, you can expect it to be worth as much as you bought it for, if not more.
Some manufacturers do not craft pool cues with the same material as they did back in the day, so this could make the cue be worth even more in the modern-day.
Check Out: What is a Sneaky Pete Pool Cue? (Explained)
High-End Pool Cues
High-end pool cues tend to be worth between $500 and $1,500. While not custom-built for their owners, they still have some of the best materials and features on the market.
High-end pool cues from companies such as McDermott, Balabushka, and Pechauer easily cost thousands of dollars, but their performance and craftsmanship justify their expensive price tag.
If these cues are taken care of, then they will most likely be worth their original asking price, with discontinued models possibly being worth even more.
Expect these to be worth around $1,000 if you are looking to sell yours, but take the previously mentioned factors into account when looking to price your cue.
Mid-Range Pool Cues
Mid-range cues are worth anywhere from $200 to around $500, and their resell value tends to fluctuate.
Because these cues are so common and tend to not be well-taken care of, they may be worth less than market value if you want to resell. These cues offer benefits like better quality wood, less of a chance of warping and cracking, a better design, and a sturdier tip.
Entry-Level Pool Cues
These are the cheapest and most common types of cues and will almost always sell for less than you paid for them.
Cues that can be purchased for as low as $20 up to the $100 range tend to feature bare wood that gets damaged easily, weak joints, and very basic designs.
They are still worth a decent amount if in good condition, but don’t expect to get more than the market price for these even if they have been discontinued or feature a rare design. Very rarely the price of these types of cues will increase.
Conclusion
Now you know how to identify the worth of your pool cue and what you can expect when looking to sell it off.
Taking the features of your cue into account when trying to identify how much it is worth is the key to finding a good asking price and then putting your cue out to market.
The biggest tip that we can give you if you plan on selling your pool cue off someday is to take care of it! A cue that is in good condition will almost always be worth more than one that has been used and abused.
