Offered here is the earliest known (and possibly only known) contestant's badge from the PGA Championship. 1921 was only the 4th PGA Championship ever contested, and it may be the most important in history because it was won by Walter Hagen for the first time. The 1921 PGA was Hagen's 1st of an eventual 5 PGA Championship victories. 

Only 32 golfers participated in the match play portion of the 1921 PGA Championship, so it's no wonder that this may be the only surviving example of a contestant's badge from that historic tournament. This badge originates from the Estate of Robert Barnett, a Baltimore area golf professional, who was defeated in the first round of this championship by Johnny Golden.

For the Walter Hagen collector, it does not get much better than this. This 1921 PGA Championship Contestant's Badge is 1 1/4" in diameter, and is in excellent condition. It is listed in the 2004 Gilchrist's Guide to Golf Collectibles at $3,000, though we believe the current value to greatly exceed this 13 year old value. In fact, this is the exact badge that was photographed for the book, and is the only known example to surface. This badge was part of the personal collection of collecting pioneer Mark Emerson (Rest in Peace, Mark. You are sorely missed by us all).