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Having recently taken a swing at golf balls for Collector's Corner, we felt it was time to address collectible golf clubs. OK, you've just found an old (pre-1930) wood-shaft club at a rummage sale. Is it worth A, $25; B, $250; C, $2,500; or D, $250,000?
Chances are, the answer won't be D. That kind of price is generally reserved for the oldest and rarest clubs from the 15th through 18th centuries. But A, B, and C are all possible, depending on several factors:
Condition and rarity are givens - no collector is going to pay top dollar for an ordinary club with a cracked shaft or badly damaged head, though some wear is to be expected.
The presence of a maker's mark or signature can mean the difference between a $25 club and a $25,000 club. So, if you are not familiar with the mark or name, it may still be worth a nominal investment to be able to take it home and research it later.
Finally, the period between 1890 and 1935 witnessed the introduction of many distinctive golf clubs as makers "tinkered" with the designs. ("Build a better golf club...") Many of these clubs were produced in limited quantities, magnifying their desirability to collectors.
By the 1930's, the wood shaft gave way to metal (steel, generally) and the graphite popular today, but even these more modern clubs are considered collectible if they are associated with one of the great players of the game or with a memorable event. Some of these are true museum pieces, like the club that astronaut Alan Shepard used to take a couple of "practice swings" while on the moon.
Even if a club is not "collectible," it may still have considerable value in the resale market. Golfers are always looking for ways to improve their games with clubs that are no longer being manufactured or are too expensive when new, and a perusal of the PGA (Professional Golf Association) Value Guide (see below) finds that many second-hand clubs are selling for up to $100 - 200 each.
Identifying truly collectible clubs is a task much too lengthy to engage in here, but the following resources can be of immeasurable assistance:
Books:
"Antique Golf Collectibles: A Price and Reference Guide," by Chuck Furjanic
http://tinyurl.com/4zz5ut
"Cleek Marks and Trademarks on Antique Golf Clubs," by Peter Georgiady
http://tinyurl.com/55c4bf
"The Clubmaker's Art," by Jeffery B. Ellis
http://clubmakersart.com
Expensive! But considered the "bible" of golf club collecting.
"Compendium of British Club Makers," by Peter Georgiady
http://tinyurl.com/672ccd
"The Golf Club: 400 Years of the Good, the Beautiful, and the Creative," by Jeffery B. Ellis
http://tinyurl.com/6hkmor
"North American Club Makers," by Peter Georgiady
http://tinyurl.com/6alu2f
"Wood Shafted Golf Club Value Guide," by Peter Georgiady
http://tinyurl.com/64n9uc
Websites:
eBay Guide to Collecting and Playing Vintage Gold Clubs
http://tinyurl.com/4vss6j
By pogodriver99. Why some golfers like to use old clubs.
"Nice Shot, Old Stick"
http://members.forbes.com/fyi/2007/0618/069.html
Amusingly written Forbes article by Missy Sullivan focuses on the high end of collectible clubs.
Old Golf Auctions Limited
http://www.oldgolfauctions.com/oga
eBay's not the only game in town.
PGA.com Value Guide
http://valueguide.pga.com/index-exec
Provides trade-in and resale values of used golf clubs based on data from eBay. Does not provide "collectible" or antique values, but an important resource nonetheless. Data updated weekly.
Old Golf Clubs: Their Restoration and Cleaning
http://www.home.aone.net.au/~byzantium/golf/restore.html
Estimating the Value of Old Hickory Shaft Golf Clubs
http://www.home.aone.net.au/~byzantium/golf/hickvalu.html
Two interesting pages by David Nicholls
Sotheby's
http://tinyurl.com/4ur6po
Press release (with pics) about then-pending (September 2007) auction of Jeffery Ellis' antiques golf club collection.
USGA (United States Gold Association) Museum
http://www.usga.org/aboutus/museum/museum.html
Updated: click on "new online presence" for a pictorial tour of the history of American golf, more.
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