Slightly for fun and as a guide to new collectors, we have put together a list of the cues that might make up the ideal cue collection. As you know we specialise in the era from 1880 to 1950 so our guide focuses on this era. These cues are in our view the main ones that should be sought out by a serious collector along with any others that you like or that are even more obscure.

In our view, here at cues n Views the essential cue collection should contain at least one each of the following or a search for each of these cues should be started:

We will begin with the cues that carry the name of a specific player:

William Cook Senior
William Cook junior facsimile
Melbourne Inman either picture plate cue
Melbourne Inman 300 off the red facsimile cue
John Roberts Senior
George Gray by Riley
Joseph Bennett
Joe Davis record cues
John Roberts Junior
Sidney Smith
Charles Dawson
Horace Lindrum picture plate cue
W J Peall perfect cue
W J Peall dated record cue
W J Peall picture plate cue
Clark McConachy champion cue
W M Green by Burroughes and Watts
Cecil Harverson Signature cue Burroughes and Watts
Edward Diggle by Burroughes and Watts
Fred Davis Champion cue
Fred Davis Special Cue
H W Stevenson by Cox and Yemen
H W Stevenson by Burroughes and Watts
H W Stevenson 1,016 by either Burroughes and Watts or Thurston
Willie Smith champion cue by Burroughes and watts
Willie Smith record cue by Burroughes and Watts
Willie Smith career record cue by Peradon.
Walter Lindrum 1929 and 1932
Tom Reece sveven versions at least
Claude Falkiner Facsimile cue first and second edition
Tom Carpenter the ally cue
Sydney Lee three versions of the billiards and snooker cue hand spliced
Albert Brown competition cue
Tom Aiken champion cue Burroughes and watts
Tom Aiken cue by Taylor's of Edinburgh
If you can get hold of a hand-spliced version of each of the above, then your collection will be quite impressive. Be aware that there are several Tom Newman cues and several Peall cues, so you might like to start with the basic champion cues and work up to a facsimile or a dated cue.

Other cues that many collectors value, include the following:

The J P Mannock Anti-Grip Registered cue
The J P Mannock Patent Anti-Grip cue
The Burroughes and Watts Burwat Champion cue in at least ash and maple
The Burroughes and Watts Ye Olde Ash Cue 1st or 2nd edition versions
The Burroughes and Watts Eureka cue
The Burroughes and Watts Mascot cue 1st and 2nd editions
The Professional Champion cue
The Cannon Match cue
The Orme Match Cue
The Parker Match Cue
The Tom Taylor Balanced cue
The E J Riley Signature cue with full Snakewood Butt
Perhaps you could also seek out cues by major manufacturers and suppliers from the past, such as:

Raper and Sons of manchester
E A Clare of Liverpool
Hixon of Leeds
Tom Taylor of Edinburgh
Dawson and Co Bombay
Murton of Newcastle
Smith and Nelson of Leeds
Wm Sykes
Herbert Holt
S M Wainwright of Leeds
Fitzpatrick and Longley of Sheffield
Rogerson and Company Newcastle
Ebbro Vintage Cues of Oldham
Burnley Billiard Works of Burnley
Blackpool Billiard WOrks of Blackpool
Spencer of Bristol
Birmingham Billiard Works of Birmingham
Billiard Supply Company of Huddersfield
Powers Sports Depot of Derby
Lupton of Prestwich Manchester
George Wright of London
Stevens and Son London
fletcher's pf Gloucester
Padmore of Birmingham
Cowderoy Bland

Older cues by still existing companies can enhance a collection too, such as the older cues by E J Riley and Thurston, and the rest of the Burroughes and Watts range.

As stated above, many players had more than one cue designed with their name on the badge, such as Tom Newman and Walter Lindrum. To begin with, one of each of these cues may be all that you want. Joe Davis cues in both machine-spliced and hand-spliced versions are still readily available, so there is plenty of scope to collect Joe Davis cues, you might like to seek out the earlier snooker break cues, below the hundred.

Another mini collection might be the Reece cues, I can think of four, these cues are all interesting, containing little variations that enhance their desirability.

The Riley range is quite large and ranges from machine-spliced cues to very nice hand-spliced cues containing snakewood and a variety of interesting badges.

Whatever you decide to collect, good hunting. The main thing is that your collection should give you pleasure and a sense of achievement. Many people turn their nose up at machine-spliced cues, and yet they are now becoming a little more scarce, perhaps they are the collector’s items of the future.

David Smith
Billiards and Snooker cue collector
and creator of the cues n views web site

Article revised and updated 8 November 2009 by popular request.