Inheriting cue sticks from your forefathers is a common practice, but at times we are not sure about the original maker of the cue stick.
It could be because there is no identification mark or the stick was repaired so the stamp containing the name of the original maker was removed. Whatever the case, you can’t suppress the curiosity regarding which brand your cue stick belongs to.
So in this article, I’m going to share a few ways you can use to identify your cue stick. And also, I’ll be sharing how you can identify cue sticks of different brands.
There are a few ways you can identify the brand of your cue stick:
The good thing is, if your cue has never been modified and is in decent condition, you can look at the butt of the cue and see if there’s any maker’s signature or mark.
Normally, cue stick manufacturers leave their stamps at the butt as a mark of identification. Even if it’s an old cue stick, you can find such signatures.
However, if the old cue in your hands is not of a brand, then there is a possibility it has been made by individual makers who don’t leave such signatures on the butt.
You can look at the joint of a two-piece cue stick where there might be some signature indicating the name of the brand.
The thing is, cue makers choose different types of joints to suit the needs of the cue they manufacture. This joint can also help you to determine when and who made the cue.
If your cue stick is quite old, you’ll realize that the joints are fatter than the new sleek designs we currently have.
Examining the artwork and inlays on the cue can also help you in this regard. You can feel the material they are made of, at least you’ll have a clue after looking at the design and the material used which era they belong to.
For instance, in some countries you can’t use real ivory to manufacture cue. Likewise, different countries have different preferences when it comes to manufacturing cue sticks.
Another ingenious way to do this is to take your cue stick to the woodworking shop where any expert might be able to identify the type of wood used in the butt. Custom cue makers are likely to use the same type of wood on the cues they make so this may also give you some clue.
This is another way you can identify the brand of your cue. Local cue makers who are likely to be in this business for years can recognize the design and woodworking of the cue.
They normally know the material and design very well their competitors use. Some old ones might also have an old cue catalog which they can use to identify your cue stick.
Chances are you have someone in the family who has been playing billiards for years, and they are likely to have played with cue sticks of numerous brands.
Thus, only by giving the cue stick in their hand and examining a few things they can make a guess about the brand your cue stick belongs to.
Now, we’ll be talking about cue sticks of different brands — brands that have been used by people all over the world.
So they usually have some sort of identification marks in the form of styles or they can also be identified by their material.
With that being said, let’s take our very first brand.
If there is no sign on the butt or joint of your cue, you have to rely on the specs. Mcdermott has released different series with different spec that can help you to identify your cue stick.
H Series: This was the first line of cues ever that featured fully adjustable variable balance point. If your cue belongs to this series, it’ll have a full-length carbon fiber core with a rail on which the weights can be repositioned forward or backward.
Select Series: If your cue belongs to this series, it’ll be equipped standard with i-Pro Slim or i-3 shafts.
G Series: Mcdermott cue stick from this series would have quality construction, exotic wood, and numerous customization options. Does your Mcdermott cue stick have these traits?
G-Core Shaft: If your cue stick belongs to this series, it might have a Made In USA stamp somewhere. Also, it would feature inlays and rings made of exotic wood.
Traditional All Maple Shaft: If your cue has an all maple shaft and butt with premium stain then chances are your stick belongs to this series of Mcdermott.
Unfortunately, if your cue stick bears no sign if it even belongs to Mcdermott or not, there is no way to confirm it except for if any cue maker or the Mcdermott brand itself confirms this.
Fortunately, these cue sticks are easier to identify. For instance, every Brunswick pool cue will have a Brunswick stamp at the handle of the cue.
I’m mentioning some of the famous cue series of Brunswick just in case you are not sure about the series of Brunswick you are holding in your hands.
Smoke Series: Smoke series featured two-piece cues for recreational billiard enthusiasts. Moreover, this cue series featured cue sticks of 19 oz only.
Fire Series: If you are sure your cue stick belongs to the Fire series and it has stainless steel uni-loc construction, then it could be Fire Series. This series too had only 19 oz sticks.
Vintage Series: Vintage series was released in the 1960s. If your Brunswick cue seems too old with an intricate fancy wood and pearlized inlays, it could be one of this series.
Likewise, if there’s no mark on your cue stick, nobody can tell if it’s a Joss Pool cue stick or any other brand.
However, if you are 100% sure it really is a Joss Pool cue stick but uncertain about the model and series, I can walk you through two of the popular series released by Joss brand.
AJ Series: If your cue stick belongs to this brand, it will have a chestnut stained curly maple forearm. Also, the butt would be chestnut stained curly maple with mother of pearl diamond inlays. And there would be two sets of black phenolic rings at the joint.
100,200 & 300 Series: Likewise, if it’s from 100, 200 and 300 series, it’ll have hard rock maple with a pro taper. A black collar with dark stained maple forearm. But plate bearing white herculite with a joss logo (if it has, then it’ll be confirmed).
Meucci launched lots of series, but they all had one thing in common. They were quite fancy. And at the butt, you’ll find the Meucci logo no matter what model you are purchasing.
Unfortunately, Meucci has released so many Pool cue series that there’s no special identity mark. The logo is the only identification mark that can help you to identify it.
However, one thing that may help you to have some clue is Meucci makes red dot shafts now. Previously they used to make black dot shafts which people didn’t like.
Another problem with obtaining Meucci cues’ model number is unavailability of an official site. For there’s no official site, you don’t have any catalog available to match your cue sticks.
When it comes to identifying Huebler Pool cue sticks, you can do this easily by the Huebler made-in-USA logo or a Huebler vertical logo found on the butt cap. All Huebler Pool cue sticks have this logo.
Just in case your cue stick has lost this logo or it’s not clear, you can identify your cue by the 5 16-18 thread and the nylon in the shaft.
In Palmer cues, the model number is usually mentioned on the shaft.
However, if there’s no such model number or other identification marks, you can use the catalogs available on their official site which you can match with your cue stick and find out other details about your cue stick.
Fury cues too have a logo on the cap, and if this logo is not present, you can only make a guess if the cue stick really belongs to Fury or not. That too is hard because there is no such thing associated with the design or material that can help you to distinguish it.
Furry has released over 40 models of cue sticks, and there’s no one thing common in all and different from other brands which can help you to differentiate these cues from the other.
However, if you are interested to have a look at the catalog available at their official site to find out the model which you currently have, you can match your cue stick with it.
When we talk about Mali cues, they can be hard to differentiate from other brands based on some form of identity mark.
However, if you are sure it’s a Mali cue stick, you can go to the billiards platform where old players with significant experience are ready to answer your questions.
The problem with Mali cues is they don’t have an official site, so there is no way you can check out from the catalog about the Mali cue you currently have. And due to unavailability of this data, we can’t dig deep in the specifications of the different models that this brand has launched.
Schon Pool cue identification isn’t a problem at all because the company itself is providing Pool cue identification services based on the data they have available.
Normally, there is a logo present on the cue, but if you are not sure about the model number, you can go to the official site of the company where you’ll always get authentic results.
Identifying Viking pool cues is very simple because they always have a V sign at the butt of the cue. You will also see the letters “USA” centered under the word “Viking” and will all be capital letters.
Another way to identify a Viking cue is the joint on the pool cue. All models of Viking have a joint which has about five turns to screw pieces together.
Moreover, all Viking cues have wood touching wood when it’s joints are completely screwed together.
Since Viking Pool cues are so common, you can even take them out and ask any random Pool cue makers about their model, most of them would be able to tell them.
The curiosity regarding your cue stick’s model number can be hard to beat. Especially when you know it belongs to ancestors but you don’t have any idea when they buy it and which brand or series they belong to. I tried my best to point out either the identification ways or the ways you can find out more about your cue sticks. Let me know if you have something more to add in this.
