Golf balls are perhaps the hottest golf memorabilia in the world right now. To longtime collectors, this will not be a surprise, as golf balls were once the crème de la crème of the golf world. Finally, after years of being overlooked, golf balls seem poised for their rightful return to prominence. And rightful it is. Most historians agree – it was the ball, not the club, that most influenced the game of golf. Our last auction saw 2 individual balls sell for over $30,000 each, as well as other golf balls sell for $14,000 and $8,000, respectively. And there are reports that a scarce “Paterson’s Composite” golf ball recently traded hands privately for a whopping $200,000 – the highest price ever paid for a golf ball.
Offered in this auction is one of the finest groupings of rare golf balls ever assembled for a single sale. Many of these balls were the centerpieces of the most important golf ball book ever written, The Story of the Golf Ball (2003) by Kevin McGimpsey. McGimpsey’s book is the Bible for golf ball collectors, and rightfully so.
Mint Condition Ocobo Golf Ball
Presented here is a high grade Ocobo gutta percha golf ball. The Ocobo
was introduced in 1894. Though it was the brand name of this ball
produced by J.B. Halley, it became so famous that its pattern became
also known as Ocobo and was copied by numerous competing golf ball
companies.
Despite being nearly 120
years old, the offered Ocobo is in Mint condition. With golf balls,
condition is everything, and this is a prime example.