With Tiger Woods bursting onto the scene, demand for badges to the 1997 Masters Tournament was at an all-time high. Nike, which was new to golf but wanted to send its executives to watch newly-signed superstar Tiger Woods, was reportedly paying $10,000 per badge. This caused severe issues in the secondary ticket market that had such a ripple effect that a ticket broker even committed suicide after not being able to honor his commitments. 

All of that history is important to understand the true rarity of the 1997 Masters Badge offered in this lot. This badge is brand new in its original plastic wrapper. How on earth did even a single 1997 Masters Badge go unused? Well, we don't know for certain but the collecting community is certainly grateful that this beauty exists.

PSA has authenticated and graded 191 badges from the 1997 Masters Tournament. How many of those are still sealed in the original plastic like the one offered here? - Only 4. This Sealed 1997 Masters Badge is graded PSA 9 MINT, which is a Pop 2 with none graded higher. 

Important Update: PSA has advised us that they are no longer encapsulating sealed Masters Badges. This rare badge will forever remain a Population of 4.