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.

1899 Whitman & Barnes WB Diamond Golf Ball

Presented here is a rare circa 1899 Whitman & Barnes Diamond pattern golf ball. In the quest to develop the best (and best selling!) golf ball, golf ball makers in the late 1800s and early 1900s began experimenting with different patterns. The W&B diamond pattern is one of the earliest and most desirable. This scarce rubber core gutty ball is in high grade condition. This is the finest example that we've ever encountered.