Do you believe in fate?
This cue is a variation of the Palmer Model #1 built in the early existence of Palmer. Having not seen another quite like it, I bought it from a fellow collector. It is undoubtedly the work of Gene Balner. These cues were built from a Brunswick house cue. On these particular cues, the points line up nicely, so the stock was hand selected. These points can be rosewood, purpleheart, ebony, or other woods.
In a very strange quirk of fate, I managed to buy the reverse twin of this cue in an auction. It turns out the cues were a "pair" and the owner sold them off at different times. That they came back together is kind of spooky. Well, no pool player ever doubts that their cue has a mind of it's own!
The lower cue is built at an earlier date, as identified by the thin joint collar and butt cap material. The reverse twin was probably special ordered in the 1968 time period to make a reverse match of the original cue, this estimate based on the thicker joint walls and different butt cap materials.
