2020 December Memorabilia Auction ~ ~ Ends Dec 13th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/14/2020
Horton Smith's Masters Champions Club Locket Presented At Champions Dinner - PINNACLE OF COLLECTION!
Frequently a collector is posed with the question, "What is your favorite item in your collection?" The winner of this lot will now have the answer to that question. For any Masters devotee be they competitor in the event or collector in his home, ownership of one of these 1 1/2 " x 1" gold lockets is the pinnacle. Quotes from Masters champions Jordan Spieth and Ben Crenshaw speak to the significance. Spieth said, "One of his most prized possessions is a gold locket for being in the Masters Club." While two-time champion Crenshaw described the locket this way, "It's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. It's a locket that opens three ways." It's a gold locket and you open it and it has a dark silhouette of the clubhouse and Bobby Jones and Cliff Roberts and on the back it says, 'Ben Hogan, founder of the Masters Club.'"
For difficulty of acquisition past champions and elite collectors alike would agree that there are more Masters champion medals and Masters champion green jackets that have entered the collecting world then these lockets, thought to be less then a single hand full. Most exclusive indeed, the original club formed at 1951 Masters champion Ben Hogan's suggestion with it's first assemble a dinner held Friday April 4, 1952 (yes, Friday and not the Tuesday evening we have grown accustomed over past decades)invited only the eleven men (Ralph Guldahl and Herman Keiser did not attend) who had won the tournament, plus Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts as honorary members. From that initial evening the tradition of a Masters week Tuesday night dinner has continued for a private clubhouse library dinner with past Masters champions along with the current Chairman of the Augusta National the only invitees. The defending champ hosts this event and receives his locket as the newest member of the Masters Club. The locket as described earlier by Ben Crenshaw and extensively photo depicted with this featured lot comes inscribed with the Masters Club members name and initials, in this case Horton Smith and H.S. The locket serves as a certificate of membership in this most exclusive club, one which Horton Smith was the initial member by virtue of his win in the inaugural 1934 Masters. Smith would go on to solidify his Hall of Fame credentials with a follow up win in the 1936 Masters. This most cherished collectible remains in untarnished condition intact and complete. Few will ever have the opportunity to lay claim to having the finest Masters collection known to exist. Ownership of this locket immediately moves a collector or institution into that conversation.
Thank you to all of our worldwide bidders and consignors for your support throughout the year. Please enjoy our final auction of 2020, it will come to an end this Sunday, December 13th at 9pm EST. Stay safe and be well, happy bidding! – The Golf Auction
AUCTION CLOSING RULES:
Place your bids now as this auction will end at 9:00pm ET Sunday, December 13th with EXTENDED BIDDING to follow. When placing INITIAL bid, you must agree to the terms BEFORE confirming your bid. All items that have received multiple bids in the auction will remain open until no items have received a bid within a 15 minute time period (at 10pm EST, the countdown clock will be adjusted to a 5 minute interval). Place your bids now!
1. You must place your initial bids BEFORE extended bidding begins to bid on the item in extended bidding
2. During extended bidding, you are allowed to bid only on items you PREVIOUSLY placed a bid on.
3. All lots that are active in extended bidding will close at the same time, and those with only ONE or NO BIDS will close at 9pm EST
**If extended bidding goes pass midnight ET, The Golf Auction reserves the right to close the auction at any time. We recommend bidders place their maximum bids prior to that time. Thank you**
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