PBA Galleries to sell books, gear at Golf Collectors Society meet Sept. 18
Rare 1942 program for the Tam O’Shanter National Open. Estimate: $600-$900. PBA Galleries image
SAN FRANCISCO – PBA Galleries will again travel to the Golf Collectors Society’s annual meeting and trade show to host a sale of golf books and memorabilia on Sept. 18. This year’s event will bring to the auction block fine rarities of golfing literature, original photographs and autographs of golfing legends, trophies and awards, tournament ephemera, a large selection of early golf clubs and much more. The sale will be held at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Pocono Manor, Pa.
Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
The sale features five bronze sculptures of golf legends by Garrard & Co., crown jewelers to the Queen of England. The five legends represented are Bobby Jones, Tom Morris Jr., Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Harry Vardon. Each of the limited edition sculptures is approximately 10 1/2 inches tall including the marble base and includes the original case. Each is estimated at $5,000-$8,000.
Garrard & Co. statue of Bobby Jones. PBA Galleries image
Golf Architecture in America, written by George C. Thomas Jr., is a classic history of the golden age of American course design by one of the leading figures of the era. The copy in the sale is in the rare original dust jacket and is illustrated with numerous plates from photographs, golf course plans and maps (estimate: $2,000-$3,000).
‘Golf Architecture in America’ by George C. Thomas Jr. PBA Galleries image
Another featured book is a first edition of Reminiscences of Golf and Golfers. This is one of the most important early books on golf history, providing an interesting look into the past and early history of the game (estimate: $3,000-$5,000).
Among the rare and collectible club highlights offered in the sale is a long-nose wood putter by Hutchison, the esteemed club maker of North Berwick (estimate: $3,000-$5,000). Also in the sale is a rare Spalding Whistle Shaft Dedstop Mashie Niblic, an interesting club having a perforated steel shaft designed by Allan Lard. Manufactured for only two years, the shafts actually whistled when swung (estimate: $5,000-$8,000).
Other featured lots include a rare volume from Bernard Darwin’s series of club handbooks, The Royal Liverpool Club (estimate: $1,000-$1,500); the sterling silver runner-up medal from the 1923 South African Amateur Championship awarded to L.P. Vernon (estimate: $600-$900); an original photograph of Walter Hagen and other American golfers after his win at The Open Championship signed by many of those present (estimate: $1,200-$1,800); and the first edition of The Art of Putting by Willie Park a great early putter (estimate: $1,000-$1,500).
The sale will begin at 5 p.m. Eastern. For more information, contact PBA at 415-989-2665 or pba@pbagalleries.com.
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