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Value of a 1985 Helmstetter Cue (1 of 50)

11/17/2021 9:35:02 AM

Value of a 1985 Helmstetter Cue (1 of 50)

Does anyone know the value of my Helmstetter Cue?

I'm thinking about selling it.

It is from the very first custom series that Helmstetter produced in 1985.

I have number 1 of 50. I used to have number 25 as well. Turns out he only made 25 in that run. I know this because he told me to my face when I saw him at a BCA convention back in 1990.

I've known Richard Helmstetter my whole life, as he started making cues in the basement of my fathers billiard supply store outside of D.C. around 1964-65.

This Helmstetter cue is from the first series of signed and dated cues made by Richard Helmstetter. He was the first cue maker that made a series of customs that were signed, dated and numbered. That was in 1985, just one year before the movie "The Color of Money" came out.

The first series of cues was supposed to be a run of 50. As it turns out, he only made 25 in the run even though they are numbered up to 50, making the last one #25/50. That makes each one even more rare. I found this out when talking to Dick at the BCA convention in 1990. I also found this out after I sold number 25 back in 1986. I did, however, keep #01/50.

This Helmstetter cue has 2 shafts. Both are original and are in the photo. I kept the cue as a collector piece along with many other cues (though most of the others have been sold off. This cue has not been used more than a couple of dozen times, and only three or four times over the last 30 years.

Dick started off making cues in the basement of my fathers billiard supply just outside of D.C. in the early 1960s. Dick Helmstetter was an innovator and was responsible for the supply of custom cues in the seventies and eighties. He manufactured his own line under the name Adam Custom cues, as well as cues for Mali, Palmer, Diamond and many others. The idea for the Lion logo on the Adams cues was originally created while having a Lowenbrau beer at our kitchen table in Bowie, Maryland. It is the Lowenbrau Lion.

Also, In case you didn’t know it, Richard was later recruited by Eli Callaway and went to work for him designing and innovating golf clubs. He is the inventor of the Big Bertha golf club.

That being said, I would be willing to part with the pool cue, but it will not be cheap. However, it would be most rare and sought after.

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Value of a 1985 Helmstetter Cue (1 of 50)

Replies & Comments
  1. DoughnutManbilliardsforum on 11/18/2021 1:55:13 AM

    Thank you so much for sharing the photos and the history of the cue and of your personal connection with Richard Helmstetter.

    The history is fascinating, and the pool cue is absolutely stunning.

    I don't have enough historical data in our archives to help with the valuation of the pool cue in a meaningful way, but I'll continue to keep looking for comparables and will post here as I find them.

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Value of a 1985 Helmstetter Cue (1 of 50)

  • Title: Value of a 1985 Helmstetter Cue (1 of 50)
  • Author: (Logan Sharp)
  • Published: 11/17/2021 9:35:02 AM
  • Last Updated: 11/22/2021 1:33:22 AM
  • Last Updated By: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)