Wayne,
That was very thoughtful of Deno to think of me.
Well, Wayne you own a cue I sure don't, and I've got to admit I'm a little jealous. It is a Palmer 5 from the first catalog made with an early Burton Spain blank. This is the same forearm Spain was selling to Frank Paradise and George Balabuska at the time. It actually is a "shorty" full splice. This is a rare cue and looks to me like it was made in the earlier days of Palmer, around 1965 to 1966.
While it does have a reasonably high monetary value, historically it's also an important cue, like they say "priceless". It's worth more than the more common model 10 window cue of the era because of the Spain forearm and the rarity.
If you can't unscrew the ferrules with your fingers (some can be on there pretty tight), they were probably standard ferrules. They were made both ways. In those early days they were short, only 3/4" long.
Any cue maker can replace the fixed ferrules. They should just use the closest plastic as they can to the type that are on it, same length, etc. My old ferrules are all a smooth plastic with cream color (bright white looks kind of funny on an old cue).
You might want to call either Scott from Proficient Billiards or Jim Buss. Both of these cue makers are very reliable, and they can tell you if they can match the plastic.
Thanks again - you have a very nice collectible Palmer there.
Chris
