Hello Everyone

Well I had the day off so I thought I would post some pictures of my new Chop Cup. I recently bought this cup from James Kernen. It a strolling cup, Blue gun Steel/Brass. The weight is perfect. James told me this is a rare cup only 2 or 3 made. I believe this was spun by Jake.

I WANT ONE!!! lol, I love the design of the strolling cup, simple but cool, and yea the Blue gun Steel/Brass looks great!

Jeremy… That is a great looking Cup… I have never seen that combination before; also your photos are pretty creative there with the cigar box.

Enjoy your day off… for tomorrow there is more HDTV to be installed.

Bruce

Jeremy,

Great looking cup and fantastic pics.  That's a great combination, I don't like BGS cups but it looks great and with that liner it should feel a good weight too.  Excellent!

Bri

Jeremy,

the cup looks great, that brass really pops out. I am waiting for some cashflow so that I can also order something from James. Can't wait.

Etienne

This was a good series of cups for RnT II

Well, up to now I've kept this only between me and James Kernen, but now that there are pictures of it, I'll come clean.

Sadly, this cup was commissioned by me, and there was only supposed to be one.

My very first set of "fine" cups (if you don't count a wooden Mikame set) was some Monti cups in blue gun steel that I purchased from Jake in 2008.  There was something about the cool blue nature of these cups that completely seduced me, and I was off and running as a cup collector.
Over the next year, I purchased a lot (a LOT!) of cups, most of them from Jake.
Later in the year, I dreamt up the perfect combination, blue steel with a brass insert.  And I wanted it in the Strolling Cup design (my favorite).
I asked Jake how much it would cost to have this done, and he quoted me a high, but ultimately fair price (more than 400 dollars, and less than a thousand) as he promised this would be a one-of-a-kind cup, a commissioned work of art - number 1 of 1.  

As it happened, it took a while for Jake to make it. He cited problems with the rolling of the brass insert inside the steel cup - too much cracking, and problems with the magnetic qualities of the steel, etc. etc.  He told me that he actually needed to go back to school and take a class in order to learn exactly how to finish the cup.  He thanked me for commissioning this cup and was grateful for the addition to his education.

It wasn't until 2009 that the cup was ready, and along the way he experimented with a strolling cup (in the same blue steel/brass insert combination) that had one bead.  As it happened, his experiments netted him 3 such cups - all chopped, and would I be interested in purchasing these, a one-of-a-kind, triple/combo set.

I'm a sucker for exclusivity, and I couldn't stomach the thought of somebody else having this unique set of cups, so I bit the bullet and bought them (for one thousand dollars!), knowing that I'd have one of the rarest sets of cups ever - and cool looking too!

My four cups eventually arrived (the commissioned chop cup and the experimental triple combo/single beaded cups).
I proudly put them in my display case.  The only time they were publicly seen is when Bill Palmer kindly let me display them on his table at the World Magic Seminar (an honor I'll always be grateful for - thanks, Bill!)

Earlier this year, I found out that my friend James Kernen had the same cup!  And that there may even be more out there!
And the one-of-a-kind triple combo set?  Jake decided to call them the Mendoza Combo cups (or something like that), and he sold more.

I was deeply and sorely disappointed that Jake would do this, and I expressed it to him in a lengthy PM.  But he never directly addressed the issue in his response, choosing only to respond to some tangental comments of little relevance.

So, enjoy the cup, Jeremy.  The combination of these two metals was my idea.  It had never been done before in a cup, and I'm a bit proud of that.  And despite the fact that it's not one-of-a-kind, it is pretty rare.  At least there's that.  (Of course, that could all change  :-)

As for the ethics of what transpired?  Well, I've heard other stories of a similar nature, so I'm not alone.  (Doesn't make it okay - I just don't feel singled out.)

Bottom line?  During the two years of my cup buying frenzy from 2008 to 2010, Jake made thousands of dollars off of me.

I expected better.

Ruben Padilla

Sorry to hear of this Ruben... It makes me sad.

Ruben… As Doug wrote… It makes me sad.
If it at all makes you feel any better, you certainly have great taste; the combination of metals makes this a beautiful CC.

Bruce

Thanks, guys.

I have united this chop cup and the set  of combo cups mentioned here back to the family, in Singapore. Got my wish come truth about owning the blue gun steel cups, and more acually. This should really really and finally finally put my purchases of cups to a stop....or at least a very slow pace..hopefully

Francis

Oh Francis... “This should really really and finally finally put my purchases of cups to a stop....or at least a very slow pace..hopefully,”... Keep telling yourself that... LOL

Men of God nor Science, can quell the desires of a Cup Junkie.

Bruce

You are not helping, Bruce....LOL

That is what friends are for... LOL

I'm actually very happy that Francis now owns this and has added it (and some other cups of mine) to his collection.
 
It's in good hands.