Rare 1880's Thornton Longnose Spoon

        Little is known about 19th century club maker Thornton and his company, Thonton & Co. (Edinburgh). We do know that Thornton was originally a waterproofing outfit, and entered the golf business in 1880. This exquisite club was certainly one of the earlier golf clubs produced by Thornton - likely in the very early 1880's. Interestingly, most of what is known of Thornton is that of a ball maker, not a club maker. However, most ball makers at least dabbled in the making of golf clubs, which explains the existence of this rare club. Amazingly, even the famous Jeffrey Ellis Collection that sold at Sotheby's in 2007 did not contain a single Thornton Longnose Club (although references to Thornton can be found in Ellis' book, The Clubmaker's Art).

        Presented here for the first time is a rare, early 1880's Thornton Longnose Spoon. This spectacular highly-lofted spoon is in remarkable condition. Other club makers may be more famous, but many of their clubs are certainly not as rare as this Thornton club.