2017 July-August Memorabilia Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/6/2017
Ben Hogan's Personal "His Last Original" 11x14 Picture of Historic 1-Iron Golf Shot @ 1950 U.S. Open
We could go on in paragraphs setting up the situation that caused the opportunity for this image to be framed, but that is already known by most. For those who don't, simply stated Ben Hogan's first Major win following a 16 month recovery from his life threatening car accident was astounding. It happened on the 72nd Hole of the U.S. Open, needing par to force a playoff, after spending all day on the course through two rounds of Saturday play. Epic moment captured in a epic picture. As seen through the lens of Hy Peskin on assignment for Life magazine. He found the supreme camera angle behind Hogan and framed his subject in a perfect cascade of contrast. It's all here the classic swing, his signature cap, and the huge crowd surrounding the 18th hole at Merion Golf Club. How special is this shot? Well, Sports Illustrated ranked it as one of the greatest of the twentieth century and in 2013 the United States Golf Association announced an agreement to maintain Hy Peskin's archive of golf images. A significant part of the Peskin agreement was that it afforded the U.S.G.A. rights to the 1-iron shot. With that agreement you can purchase this image from the U.S.G.A. What makes this 11" x 14" image we offer in this lot so different. IT IS BEN HOGAN'S PERSONAL COPY!! This cherished photo of Ben's still remains in ex-mt condition, with only apparent front flaw being a chip to its border surrounding upper right corner which does not affect the image. Meanwhile the verso of photo displays a depressed area which was created by the attachment of a paperclip. This clip attached the Hogan personal notepad instructions he composed to Lynne of Al Panzera photography of Fort Worth (this company served as the favored local photo shop for Hogan in the 1950's) which reads "This is the last picture that I have and is the one Al (Panzera) should use to make prints you plan to order. I want This print back. Hogan did receive this very print back in the envelope which comes with this lot addressed to his personal secretary at the time Miss (Claribel) Kelly. This envelope bears its postal return date as December 12, 1959. This envelope also has writing on it with bold under-striking, in a hand which bears similarity to Hogan's and reads KEEP - DO NOT LOSE 1-IRON NEGATIVE. This first generation photo was indeed very important for Hogan as he had personally felt the agony his body was enduring as he hit the shot which led to probably the most famous golf picture ever taken. Merion Golf Club sure believes it placing a granite marker in the middle of its 18th fairway where the shot was struck. Hogan went on to win the three way playoff the next day. His miraculous comeback was complete. Here is your chance to own a true piece of that historical moment which meant so much to the man, Hogan, who created the moment through sheer perseverance of mind over body. Please bid on this lot with the highest confidence as it comes from the Bob Coffin Ben Hogan Collection as sourced from Sharon Rae Personal Secretary to Mr. Hogan (As seen together as employee and boss in photo with this lot). Please see separate statements of provenance from Mrs. Rae's son (Andy) and our consignor Bob Coffin which are displayed with this offering.
THE BOB COFFIN COLLECTION SOURCED FROM BEN HOGAN'S PERSONAL SECRETARY SHARON RAE
Bob Coffin is a man of action, as seen by a career of public service which began 35 years ago with his election to the Nevada Assembly. From that office Coffin was the people's choice for a seat in the Nevada State Senate. After serving in that position for the length that Nevada term limitations would allow, Coffin returned to his hometown of Las Vegas where he continues to serve his constituents as a city councilman to this day. For Coffin this passion for service to his country began with a stint in the United States Army, the same branch of service that his lifelong hero Ben Hogan had served in during World War II. Coffin a student of the Hogan approach to golf, learned his lessons well, so well, that he won the 1969 Nevada Amateur Golf Championship. Following that triumph it was only natural in 1979 that the hometown Las Vegas newspaper, the Review Journal, called on Bob to write a golf column for the paper. To this day accolades continue to pour in for this highly respected man in so many arenas be it golf, military, or politics. Most recently, he was named Person of the Year by the Southern Nevada Chapter of the Professional Golfers Association and received the Charles Dick Medal of Honor Award from the United States National Guard.
This career of public service over the lifetime of Bob Coffin offers much for us to respect. We owe him gratitude, but an even larger thank you as golf collectors is due him for his action in preserving the personal ephemera which belonged to Ben and Valerie Hogan. These mementos covering various stages of their storied lives had been gifted by both Ben and Valerie to their trusted personal secretary Sharon Rae (Please see photo that accompanies this lot of Mr. Hogan and Sharon Rae). Mrs. Rae following Ben's passing in 1997 became such a vital part of Mrs. Hogan's life that she accompanied her to both Ben Hogan's tribute at the 1999 Memorial Tournament and to the dedication of the United States Golf Association's Ben Hogan room that same year. Her prominence in the lives of the Hogan's was evident when she was remembered in both Ben's will with a cash bequest and a much larger bequest in Valerie's will. As a studious collector of Hogan material Bob Coffin stayed in contact with the Rae family, and following Sharon's passing was contacted by son Andy Rae. He informed Coffin that in his garage there is "still a bunch of stuff". Coffin, the man of action, caught a plane to Texas and completed a transaction that saved the Hogan collection as sourced through Sharon Rae for the golf collecting community. The Golf Auction is pleased with so much of the prized material of the Hogan's lifetime already placed in permanent homes to be able to make this offering. We recognize that it may be the last opportunity available to offer fresh Hogan material, which contains rock solid provenance, to the collectors of arguably the greatest golfer of the 20th century but certainly one of America's most idolized and interesting people of that century.
Please note: This auction will end at 7:00pm EST on Sunday, August 6th, with EXTENDED BIDDING to follow. All items in the auction will remain open until no items have received a bid within a 15 minute time period. All lots are free to be bid on until extended bidding has ended
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