What is the most valuable golf artifact?

[wsmorrison]

My mind is spinning with the possible valuations of the Pine Valley routing map by Colt.  In the minds of collectors or people in the know, what is the single most valuable golf artifact?  How about golf architecture artifact?

[Jeff_Mingay]

Golf architecture artifact?

How about Raynor's routing plan for Cypress Point! I'm sure Geo. Bahto would pay a fortunate for that artifact!

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The missing Flynn plans for Philmont.

[wsmorrison]

Steve,

If they are found, they're likely a forgery.  Philmont North does not make my list of Flynn designs.  Perhaps he did some redesign work...likely I'd say.  But it ain't no Flynn original.

South Course:  Reid
North Course:  Willie Park, Jr. and that is a fine attribution.  The club should be proud.  If you think of Park's place in golf architecture it is truly lofty!

Jeff,

I'd sure like to see that Raynor drawing!

[RJ_Daley]

Does anything in the way of routing plans, drawings, engineering plans exist for Lido?  I'd think that would be pretty valuable to a collector?  I haven't taken time to consult with Georges book before asking.  Maybe George already covered that.  I can't remember...

IN the "Scrapbook of Old Tom Morris" there are all sorts of references to various artifacts that might be very valuable.

[Mike Hendren]

The championship belt retired by Young Tom Morris, or the red/white/blue trophy in my attic from the 1976 men's championship at Rolling Hills CC in Ripley, Tennessee.  Take your pick.

Mike

[Ted Kramer]

My vote is for the Open Championship Belt.

-Ted

[RJ_Daley]

Is there anything in Scotland/England similar to the Smithsonian?  Would there be a royal repository of artifacts for past Kings and Queens.  I'm thinking of something like the club Mary Queen of Scots used to bat a ball around the links-commons...

Perhaps a hickory shafted driver with a 360cc club head made of Lord Darnley's skull...

During the 16th century the game of golf became firmly established on the east coast of Scotland and began to spread further abroad. Mary Queen of Scots, was a notable player. So keen was her interest in the game she fell foul of the Church for playing golf only a few days after the murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley, rather than demonstrating a proper amount of time in mourning following his murder and death.

[BCrosby]

MacDonald's notes from his UK tour.
H. Wilson's notes from his UK tour.
MacK's notes for his map of TOC.
Robertson's drawings for TOC.
and, if it were available, the first routing of PVGC.

But those sorts of things never come on the market.

Bob

[Jeff_Mingay]

Macdonald's and Wilson's notes from their respective tours of Scotland would be very interesting to see, Bob. Interesting thought.

[ForkaB]

The posts that TE Paul has deleted from GCA....

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

How about a signed trading card or Open Championship flag signed by Old Tom?




I am sure somebody on ebay could come up with both

[RJ_Daley]

Yeah Rich, I was thinking along those lines.  How about the first or innaugral page of GCA.com?  

[Mike Hendren]

How about a signed trading card or Open Championship flag signed by Old Tom?




I am sure somebody on ebay could come up with both

Michael,

How much are you willing to pay?

Mike

[ForkaB]

How about a signed trading card or Open Championship flag signed by Old Tom?




I am sure somebody on ebay could come up with both

Not sure if they still do it, but you used to be able to buy original signed scorecards for past Opens at the USGA HQ in Far Hills for about 50 cents.  I bought one of Sandy Lyle's for my girlfriend at the time.  It worked, she's now my wife!

[wsmorrison]

As an addition to this thread, what are each of your most favorite golf and/or golf architect memorabilia?

Eventually mine will be the book on William Flynn signed by Tom Paul.  Certainly all the drawings, research material and artifacts found in the process are quite valuable especially condensed into a volume or two.  One of the more interesting ones might be non-architectural and is the discovery of a certain patent related to Merion Golf Club that will be found in said book  

[Tommy_Naccarato]

The Cypress-Raynor map has been found. Just ask Tony Cashmore who can recount it's clearest detail as told to him by a man that was 78 years old and of clear mind and memory from one night just outside of Denver in 1978. Yet, he can't remember the person's name of the house which the map was at.

The Ralph Miller Collection has a copy of "The Goff" which is said to be VERY priceless. For us Archiphiles, it would obviously have to be the MacKenzie-Cypress map, if it ever existed. Right now it's as real as Ponce DeLeon's mystical Fountain of Youth which was supposed to be somewhere in Florida. (I would suspect it's in the magical waters of Boca Rio and it's Pat Mucci's most guarded secret!)  

[Tom Huckaby]

But the all-time biggie, the one I'd mortgage the house for, is Nicklaus's yellow cardigan from the last round of the 1972 Open at Pebble!  I'd bet Huck would agree...

Indeed I would.  Well said.  Of course only the most discerning of golfers go to great lengths to duplicate it.

 

[Joe Hancock]

I was thinking a Buddha-type figurine replicating The Emporer might top the list.....

Joe

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

I thought I saw one of those "shirt thread" cards signed by Old Tom just yesterday on ebay..also a copy of his original Nike contract..of course it was a head to toe deal incorporating his newly developed mashie niblick with extra stiff hickory shaft...sorry, I just get all excited  and giddy about these wonderful American eating holidays..I just love this country...and that part of this post is serious.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Tommy,

I recall that Cashmore article (wasn't it?) in which he claims to have actually seen Raynor's routing plan for Cypress Point?

Where is it now!!!

[John Foley]

I'd venture to say that Mackenzies original map of St. Andrews has got to be one of the most valuable.

The other obvious one is (as others have said) Raynors routing of Cypress. Would love to see that if it ever materialized. (Did Raynor due drawings early on? Did he ever do somethign for Lido?)

How about the large painting of the layout of Pine Valley & the similar one of St Andrews.

For recent items, how about the Constelation map at Sand Hills.

I wont pile on about the Flynn book.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Jeff,
Cashmore claims that a highly reputable gentleman from Oz saw the map one night after some amateur matches, I think it was at Cherry Hills or somewhere like that. He claimed the guy was of "clear mind and memory" from a date in 1978 when the viewing occured. The only problem is that he couldn't even remember the name of the fellow whose house it was at.

I'm not buying into it. In fact, it was only after Cashmore was criticized for making some awkward comments on Cypress Point did this fish tale come about.

[Tom Huckaby]

I would think that any of the following would fecth mega-bucks:

1.  A post by Matt Ward without the word "pardna" in it.

2.  A monosyllabic, noun-verb-noun, single-sentence post from TEP.

3.  An post in which DaveM admits he's wrong.

4.  A post in which Huck takes an unqualified position on a contentious issue.  

I'd venture to say #4 will occur well before #3.

But perhaps it just did?

 

[George Pazin]

Unfortunately you guys are way off - in today's day and age some billionaire bozo would sooner cough up big bucks for the ball Tiger used during the 2000 US Open or something like that.

Me, I like Ted's idea of the original Open Championship belt. Of course, I remain one of the skeptics that doesn't believe the Raynor stories, also.