Ben Hogan
1929 U.S. Open Qualifying Badge
(Bobby Jones Victory)
THE BOBBY JONES COLLECTION
In 2005, the
World Golf Hall of Fame held arguably its most famous exhibition in history
when it celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Grand Slam with
the exhibit Bobby Jones: A Salute to the Grand Slam. That exhibit
featured memorabilia from the expected places: the USGA, the Royal &
Ancient, Augusta National Golf Club, Merion Golf Club, as well as items
owned by the Hall of Fame itself. But the golf world was abuzz with chatter
about another source of much of the rare and one-of-a-kind Bobby Jones
memorabilia on display – a previously unknown private collector.
We have the
great privilege of offering that famed, yet mysterious, Bobby Jones
collection in this auction. The collection was assembled by a very private
Midwest collector over the past three decades. In the golf collecting
community, and with today’s internet world, it is virtually impossible to
keep collections quiet; but this is an extreme exception. When the World
Golf Hall of Fame sent out its press release announcing the Bobby Jones
exhibit in 2005, it specifically highlighted the fact that many of the items
in this private collection “will be on display to the public for the first
time.” And aside from that brief loan to the Hall of Fame, almost all of
this memorabilia was obtained in private transactions and has never been
seen publicly – until now.
1929 U.S. Open
Qualifying Badge (Bobby Jones Victory)
Offered here is an exceptionally rare original badge from Bobby Jones' victory
at the 1929 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. This is an actual contestant's badge from
the qualifying rounds of the 1929 U.S. Open. The great amateur Bobby Jones won
the U.S. Open for the third time in 1929, which was his 8th of 13 eventual Major
Championships. This original contestant's badge is in excellent condition and
measures 1-1/4' in diameter.