Fellini cases were made by Robert (Bob) Hempel in Austin, Texas from the early 1970's until the mid 1980's. Fellini supplied cases to a number of cue-makers including Gus Szamboti. In addition to standard cases, Gus would custom order cases to match his unique designs and include them with the cue.
Fellini spawned similar cases made by Ann Gore (who also worked there), Centennial, and It's George. These cases were strong, compact , and light. The shell was durable PVC and the case only weighed about 2 pounds. Fellini offered a variety of leathers, exotic skins such as python, anaconda, and ostrich, and optional hand tooling. The standard case sold for about $50, with the fancy versions selling for $100 or more.
Fellini cases are prized by collectors today to house their collectible cues. Typical values start at $350 - $400 for a standard case in decent shape. If the Fellini tag is missing the value is drastically reduced.
