A buoyant trade saw a golf ball driven to a top price of £9,600 at a golf memorabilia auction by Mullock Madeley at Newport on Tay, Fife, last week.
John Mullock, described the event as highly successful. “We had buyers from Japan, California, Canada and Europe, plus new local buyers among the packed sale room. The feathery golf ball, stamped ‘T Morris’ sold at £9,600.”
Tom Morris items were in strong demand with author W W Tulloch’s “The Life of Tom Morris with glimpses of St Andrew’s and its Golfing Celebrities” first edition selling for £1,500; a rare photograph of the Young Tom Morris, expected to make £800 realised double at £1,600 and an early post card with the famous golfer stood outside his shop opposite the 18th green also realised more than the guide at £560.
Says John Mullock, “The trade on books was exceptional too, we’d put a guide price of £1,750 to £2,500 on Harry Wood’s ‘Golfing Curios and the Like’ and it came in at £3,500; while Robert Clark’s ‘Golf – A Royal and Ancient Game,’ achieved £1,600, again significantly more than the guide. The Edinburgh Almanac’s also sold well achieving up to £1,500.”
A £6,000 price was achieved for an original water colour of “Golf at Pau, France” by Hopkins (1830 – 1913). The trade on golfing art was further reinforced when a pair of Patridge watercolours took bidding to £4,000.
“Trade was exceptionally strong on all quality items, we sold a programme for the first Augusta National Golf Club Annual Invitation Tournament (1934), at £5,000, generating strong bidding with Americans and Canadians jostling for position in the room and by telephone bids.”
John Mullock concludes, “We grossed £90,000 and achieved nearly 70% clearance. What was particularly pleasing was the number of new buyers, who were in the area for The Open, both local and international.”
Mullock Madeley www.mullockmadeley.co.uk
Golf memorabilia attracts overseas buyers
