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Info on Players Cue with "Liberty Group" Logo on Back

2/12/2024 3:12:38 AM

Info on Players Cue with "Liberty Group" Logo on Back

A buddy of mine won this pool cue playing his boss, and gave to me for a loan.

It is a Players pool cue with a "Liberty Group" logo opposite to the "Players" logo.

Any information is appreciated.

Thank you

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Info on Players Cue with "Liberty Group" Logo on Back

Replies & Comments
  1. Paradigmbilliardsforum on 2/14/2024 8:10:29 AM

    It's a Players cue, co-branded with "The Liberty Group". It was likely a standard Players cue model, though I couldn't locate it.

    The design is similar (though more basic) to a newer Players G2241 pool cue.

    players-g2214-cue.jpg

    The Liberty Group was a "an association of billiard table retailers." formed by Douglas Kelly of Maryland (registered in Georgia), circa 2003. The trademark was abandoned circa 2006.

    The idea of "The Liberty Group" was that manufacturers (like Players, and Lucasi for pool cues, and Thomas Aaron for pool tables, for example) would add a Liberty Group logo to product sold to Liberty Group retailer members (such as Steepleton Billiards, which bought 15 "Liberty Group" branded pool tables from Thomas Aaron.

    Here is an example of a Liberty Group branded Lucasi cue:

    liberty-group-lucasi-cue.jpg liberty-group-lucasi-cue-2.jpg

    The Liberty Group's value proposition was it's experienced (retailer) members, and the claim that customers could count on Liberty Group member companies for a "consistent installation and customer service program".

    Liberty Group claimed the following:

    : Prior to the branding of any product with the Liberty Billiard name, it undergoes a review process among Liberty Group members and requires the majority voting approval of Liberty Group members prior to the acceptance of the product to be branded under the Liberty Billiards' name.

    However, the courts would find that the Liberty Group did not have any meaningful level of "post-manufacture quality control" in place. The Liberty Group opposed, stating:

    The Liberty Group strives to ensure top quality customer service, employs only trained pool table installers, and each Liberty Group member is encouraged and required to follow-up with each customer who purchases a Liberty Billiard product to ensure customer satisfaction and also immediately address any warranty issues which may arise regarding the product sold by the Liberty Group branded with the Liberty Billiards' trademark plates.

    Evidence shows that the group's retailers weren't purchasing enough to make it profitable for the manufacturers. From the suit against Thomas Aaron Billiards ("TAB"):

    Liberty Group members were not buying enough billiard tables to make the agreement profitable for Thomas Aaron Billiards. Thomas Aaron Billiards asked that each Liberty Group member commit to purchasing 10-15 pool tables per month. The Liberty Group never responded to the letter. Thomas Aaron Billiards then sold the remaining tables to non-Liberty Group retailers.

    Either way, the presence of a "The Liberty Group" logo doesn't really have any effect on value.

    It's founder, Douglas Kelly is a wealthy business person and was involved in the cue sports industry in a number of ways.

    His residential address at the time (in North Bethesda, MD) was listed as the registered address for a number of other billiard retail and service companies like Champion Billiards (Champion Billiards Management Inc.) which was a large and successful chain of game room retailers and "Champion Billiard Cafes", and Liberty Billiards (which was, of course, a member of The Liberty Group). He also co-owned K & S Real Properties, Inc., a company which had various (sour) dealings with Olhausen Billiards.

    Douglas K. Kelly (and/or his companies) have been the subject of numerous law suits, against firms like Thomas Aaron Billiards (over manufacturers selling "Liberty Group" branded products to non-Liberty Group retailers, and Olhausen (over matters that were financial in nature).

  2. Paradigmuser1711021651 on 4/7/2024 2:48:30 PM

    @billiardsforum - Just a note of clarification regarding your mention that the "design is similar (though more basic) to a newer Players G2241 pool cue";

    While the design itself may be similar to the "newer" Players model, the cue pictured in the original question has the "older" Players logo. That is, with the "Players" name, beside a graphic of six circles (signifying object balls in rows of three, two, and one balls). The newer Players cue I bought in 2023 has a logo that has more of a swirl.

    Here is the newer Players logo:

    Players-logo.jpg

  3. Paradigmbilliardsforum on 4/11/2024 6:55:43 AM

    @user1711021651 - Yes, I agree with you 100%, thanks for that clarification.

    I guess by "newer", I meant "newer than the model in the original question", based on the time frame in which the Liberty Group was active as a company.

    But yes, you are right, the Players model in your photo features the latest and current Players cue logo.

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Info on Players Cue with "Liberty Group" Logo on Back

  • Title: Info on Players Cue with "Liberty Group" Logo on Back
  • Author:
  • Published: 2/12/2024 3:12:38 AM
  • Last Updated: 2/14/2024 6:10:28 AM
  • Last Updated By: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)