How not to leave your family with an impossible task.
By Bobby Grace
Winter 2024, The Golf
Collecting/Organizing/Labeling/Pricing
I have been collecting and organizing my favorite classic and antique golf clubs and memorabilia for over 45 years. While I may not have the largest collection, I certainly have an interesting one. I have my “never sell” section, which used to be under my bed, but as they are quite valuable now, they go into a 1,000-pound safe bolted to the floor; my “maybe sell and upgrade section”; and my “nostalgic section,” which is the stuff my Dad or my teacher or my heroes used to play with.
My wife knows my collection and their values almost as well as I do. Each club is labeled with the date I bought it, what I paid, and the value range. This makes selling in the future much easier. I keep good records of where and who I purchased the clubs from and the seller’s information so I can stay in touch with them for future purchases. I learned this from Bob Kent back when I was 20 years old (44 years ago).
I recently was called to help the daughters of a good friend, Hal, (who passed away from cancer) organize and evaluate his collection. I had helped build his collection over the years so I felt that the right thing to do was to go there and lend my time and knowledge. I made time during one of my Florida putter-fitting trips to visit Hal’s house and see what we were facing. It was not good.
The clubs were all over the house, in and out of boxes, with absolutely no organization whatsoever and often quite dirty and dusty. It was a complete nightmare. I put on some disposable gloves and went to work, spending an entire day separating his clubs into three sections: a “Giveaway” section, an “eBay” section, and the “Good Stuff.”
There was so much that needed to be tossed or given away that it actually made me a bit queasy. I had to get a hotel room nearby and come back in the morning for another six hours to finally complete the job. I photographed the good stuff, gave the daughters a hug and left. This could have been avoided had Hal kept organized and kept good records.
The first thing I recommend (depending on the size of your collection) is to build racks to help organize your stash into a display that is easy to view and share with others as well as to help see what is needed to fill in certain missing items. Label each item with an assigned value as to rarity, what you paid for it, and when you acquired it. I use a code for the price I paid, a code that only my wife and I know.
The second thing is to create a binder that lists your clubs in categories, such as my own, below. Yours will differ based on your collecting categories.
1. Drivers
2. Rare MacGregor 5 & 6 woods
3. Wilson Black Button Wedges
4. Wilson Pre-1945 Sand Irons
5. Wilson Putters
6. Tony Lema, Lee Trevino, George Low Blades
7. Celebrity Putters or Clubs
8. MacGregor Putters
9. Zebra Adjustable Putters
10. Rare iron sets
11. Partial iron sets needing odd irons
12. Items worthy of my safe.
Hunting and collecting classic drivers, wedges, and putters and studying their history is my passion. I do sell some items to help fill other collectors needs, but also fill the needs of my collection. There are many types of collectors, here are just some examples:
1. Collecting for investment.
2. Collecting for sentimental reasons.
3. Collecting for unique and unusual designs.
4. Collecting for the love of those master craftsmen who made them.
5. Collecting for the thrill of the find.
What not to collect!
I have pondered over this section as collecting is so personal. But one thing I find very disappointing is examining something that is touted as a true “Golf Club Collection” when, really, the items are quite common and in some cases worth nothing at all. There is a reason why certain collectibles sell for good money in auctions and it’s usually because the items are rare, sought after by other collectors, condition is exceptional, the provenance is attached that proves it was owned and used by a famous person, or all of the above.
There are categories that have value and others that don’t. If you are collecting for value, then avoid those items that no one else wants. A few are listed here:
- Pyratones (sheathing over steel shafts) from the late 1930s to early 1940s. They made a lot of these and their value usually is very little.
- Woods that have cracks in the neck near the stress point pin and sole screw.
- Woods that have been refinished by an amateur and ruined.
- Putters with added sightlines are always unfortunate to find, especially on an otherwise desirable club.
I love to have fun with my collection as you should do as well. I share what I have and why I love it. Sharing the history of the club and the clubmaker is part of why I enjoy being a part of the Golf Heritage Society. I wish you all luck in finding your next “Diamond in the Rough” that will give you goosebumps when you share it with others who share the same sickness/passion you do.