The Cue Collector - Articles about Collecting Cues
BURROUGHES & WATTS WEIGHT STAMPS by Andy Hunter and Gordon Radford
Second Phase – 1870s to 1920s - Ounces over Numbers
The second phase for Burroughes & Watts weight stamps begins in the 1870s and probably ends around the early 1920s.
During this phase, Burroughes & Watts weight stamps generally comprise a number with the letters “oz” above the number (as shown in the photo to the left).
These weight stamps were stamped onto the cue by hand and it appears that the number and the letters were applied separately, using different stamps.
For this reason, the distance between the number and the letters can vary from cue to cue.
Burroughes & Watts Weight Stamps - 1870s to 1920s
Burroughes & Watts Weight Stamps - 1920s onwards
Other Points to Note
Most of the written records of Burroughes & Watts were destroyed during the Blitz in the Second World War, so it is not possible to be definitive. Our comments are based simply on experience and observation in relation to Burroughes & Watts cues. There is an element of guess-work, which is unavoidable.
From observation, it seems that during the transition from the second to third phase, Burroughes & Watts might have experimented with different styles of weight stamp. As a result, there may have been some variations in weight stamps in the period around the 1920s.
Finally, as weight stamps appear to have been applied by hand before the 1920s, using separate stamps for the numbers and the letters, cue makers might sometimes have accidentally reversed the numbers and letters.
Burroughes & Watts
Burroughes & Watts was established in 1836 and continued in business for over 130 years, until approximately 1967. Over this long period, there appear to have been three different phases in terms of weight stamps.
First Phase – 1836 to 1870s - No Weight Stamps
The first phase begins in 1836 and, as best we can tell, ends in the 1870s. It appears that, during this phase, weight stamps were not applied to Burroughes & Watts cues. So the very earliest Burroughes & Watts cues generally do not have any weight stamp.
An example of this is the William Cook Round Badge. This type of cue is thought to have been made from the 1860s through to the 1890s. The presence of a weight stamp on this type of cue indicates that it was made after the 1870s.
Third Phase – Post 1920s – Numbers over Ounces
The third phase of Burroughes & Watts weight stamps appears to begin in the 1920s and continues through to 1967, when Burroughes & Watts ceased to trade.
During the third phase, Burroughes & Watts weight stamps still comprised a number with the letters “oz”. However, the letters "oz" are now located below the number, rather than above it. Some examples are shown in the photo on the right.
Until the mid-1930s, these weight stamps were probably also applied by hand.
Generally, the numbers in these weight stamps appear smaller than the numbers that were used in the period from 1870 to the 1920s. The numbers are also often located closer to the letters.
