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Where to Sell a Pure Ivory Pool Ball Set?

4/12/2012 7:06:42 AM

Where to Sell a Pure Ivory Pool Ball Set?

My parents just recently gave me a set of pure ivory billiard balls from back when my great grandfather had a pool hall. It has the whole set except for the 12 ball, which is missing, and it is even accompanied by a couple of snooker balls.

I'm trying to sell them because, sadly, we need the money right now more then we need these.

Can anyone point me in a direction of how I can sell them for a fair price? Who would be interested in buying them?

Where to Sell a Pure Ivory Pool Ball Set?

Replies & Comments
  1. JWilsonTLbilliardsforum on 5/15/2012 4:08:31 AM

    @JWilsonTL - Nice find. Can you email me with some larger and more detailed photos? I might be interested in purchasing the set from you depending on what details you can provide.

    In GENERAL, ivory sets sell for anywhere from $50 and can run up into the thousands of dollars, depending mainly on:

    • Condition of the balls themselves (this is first and foremost in determining the value)
    • Completeness of the collection (is there an origianl box, etc. more details on this below)
    • the supporting story/documents/details (more on this below).

    There are still a lot of these sets out there, but since they are ivory, they are obviously becoming slowly harder to find in mint condition. Normally I price things out using eBay, but you can't sell these on eBay because they have banned the sale of products made from ivory.

    Is there any other information you can provide about the set of ivory billiard balls you inherited? For example, if you can provide any or all of the following details, it would help us to negotiate a fair price for the set of ivory billiard balls:

    • What is the time period in which the balls would have been used (e.g. when did your great grandfather open for business? When did he close his doors?)?
    • Where was his pool hall located?
    • Where did he source his equipment? Was it bought locally (North America) or from over-seas?
    • Do the balls come with an origina box, packaging, or any other identifying material?
    • Any other detail you can provide would help.

    With these things, part of the value lies in the story around the antique item, and how well you can back that story up. For example, would there be any newspaper clippings mentioning or depicting your great grandfathers pool hall? Something like that could double the value.

    Here is a picture of a set of ivory pool balls that would be considered in perfect condition with an original box.

    Sets like these garner the highest end of the prices. A set like this would likely go for anywhere between $40,000 to over $100,000 depending on the back story, documentation, and current market.

  2. JWilsonTLraceinaround on 7/19/2017 1:36:21 PM

    I'm not trying to be a bitch but you might want to check with your State's laws on purchasing and selling ivory. Some states have banned it completely even from private party transactions. If these Ivory pool balls were in your family you would be grandfathered into ownership and possession of the ivory.

    Trust me I'm not trying to be a bitch, I choose to question authority and fuck the system every chance I get. Just an FYI.

  3. JWilsonTLHashtagPhysics on 9/23/2022 2:34:37 PM

    @JWilsonTL - I think I have the missing 12 ball for your set.

    Please contact me.

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Where to Sell a Pure Ivory Pool Ball Set?

  • Title: Where to Sell a Pure Ivory Pool Ball Set?
  • Author: (Jennifer Wilson)
  • Published: 4/12/2012 7:06:42 AM