The firm "John Roberts and Co" was established by John Roberts Junior and Max Breslauer in Bombay in 1878, during John Roberts' second tour of India. Frederick Hotine became a partner of the firm around 1895. The firm traded in India and in England.
In the late 1890s, John Roberts ran into financial difficulties and sold his interests in the Indian firm, retaining only the rights to a royalty for the use of his name.
The John Roberts and Co Champion Cue was made by John Roberts and Co Ltd in India. It is a machine-spliced cue, with an ash shaft on an ebony butt. The round badge is ivory.
This particular example has a presentation plaque recessed into the butt. The plaque is dated 1914, which indicates the approximate year in which the cue was made.
The round badge is quite different from the badges on other John Roberts Champion Cues. This is probably due to the fact that, after 1898, Burroughes & Watts owned the trade mark to the badge on the earlier John Roberts Champion Cues pictured elsewhere on this website.
