Offered here is Sam Snead's official 1954 Masters Tournament trophy. The 1954 Masters was Snead's 3rd Masters victory, and perhaps his most famous. Snead and the great Ben Hogan were level after 72 holes, and the two legends headed to an 18 hole playoff. Snead won the playoff by a single stroke in what Bobby Jones described as the greatest round of golf he'd ever seen. Ben Hogan was clearly the greatest golfer in the world at this time. After his defeat to Snead at the '54 Masters, Hogan would never win another Major. 

The Masters Tournament trophy is far and away the most elusive trophy in all of golf. Unlike the other Major Championship trophies (not to mention other sports), replicas are not produced. No salesman samples, no smaller copies, and no other versions for Augusta members or tournament VIPs. Save for a couple larger "Permanent" trophies produced for the Hall of Fame and other museums, the only way to obtain a Masters Tournament trophy is to go out and win the Masters.

This now-iconic three dimensional sterling silver trophy was first awarded in 1993, meaning that it was only presented at the time of victory to 18 Champions (Bernhard Langer through Sergio last year). Additionally, some living Masters Tournament Champions were allowed to purchase this trophy. We can confirm that at least six different then-living Masters Champs have trophies. If even 10 other Masters Champions obtained a trophy, that is still less than three dozen Champions that own one. A look through that list of names like Tiger, Jack, Phil, and Jordan, it becomes quite clear that very few of these trophies will ever reach the collector market. And with the earning potential of today's golfers, we presume that no future Masters Champion will likely put his trophy for auction either. 

That background information was necessary to fully illustrate one important point - only a scant few Masters Tournament trophies have ever become available, and will ever become available. In the ensuing decades, perhaps 2 or 3 collectors in the world will ever have the chance to own an official Masters Tournament trophy. 

The last such Masters trophy to reach the auction block was one of Arnold Palmer's, which we at Green Jacket Auctions sold for $444,012 in 2016. Since that auction, we've received inquiries about purchasing that trophy at an even higher amount. 

As the true scarcity of Masters Tournament trophies becomes apparent and fully appreciated by collectors, we expect the couple available trophies to reach stratospheric valuations the likes of which have not yet been seen in the golf collecting hobby.

This sterling silver on wood base "clubhouse" trophy measures 13.5" wide by 6.5" tall, and weighs 20 pounds. The front of the trophy is engraved "Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Sam Snead 1954, 289."

Letter of Provenance from Sam Snead's Son, Jack Snead

Estimate: $300,000+