In his 1899 book Golf in Perth and Perthshire, in the section covering 1864, Peter Baxter recalls how the Perth Golf Club decided to hold a tournament in 1864, which began on April 12 of that year.  Baxter writes, "The crack players present included old Tom Morris, then of Prestwick ; the two Parks and Dow, of Musselburgh; G . D. Brown and the two Straths, of St Andrews; G . Morris, of Carnoustie ; Keddie, of Leven ; and Perth 's own champion, Bob Andrews, along with the other local lights- Watty M ‘Donald and Neil M 'Pherson, 'the herd laddie,' so called from his occupation of attending the cows on the North Inch.

This reference of Keddie followed a list of golfers who were also in the clubmaking and  ballmaking business, as the professional golfers of the day were. Keddie was listed as from Leven.  In the Golfers Yearbook of 1866. Peter Keddie Jr is listed as a member of the Leven Golfing Club. Given this ball is stamped “P Keddie,” I believe we have our man behind this spectacular c1865 hand hammered gutty ball, one of three known stamped "P Keddie," … or do we?

The 11 July 1850 Fife Herald mentions that Peter Keddie was the current captain of the Leven Golf Club. The 17 July 1851 Fife Herald states Peter Keddie won a fine John Patrick playclub (Patrick was the clubmaker in Leven) for his perfomance in a golf competition.  The Fife Herald of 12 September 1861 reported on a junior golf event in Leven and mentions a juvenile P. Keddie and A. Keddie as winning prizes for playing “round in wonderful low strokes considering their ages..."  (Many thanks to Nick C. for supplying extracts from the Fife Herald.)

Given this additional information, recognizing that Peter Keddie Jr. was a juvenile in 1861, there is a strong chance that Peter Keddie Sr made this ball, especially in light of Peter Baxter’s 1864 account.  The auctioneer believes that Peter Keddie Sr. most likely made this masterpiece. All the existing evidence points to him. (In 1866, "P Keddie" was listed in The Golfer's Year Book as a member at The Earlsferry and Elie Golf Club, just down the road from Leven.)

 This ball is in exceedingly fine, unused condition with original paint. There are just a few minor chips and the "P Keddie" and "27" dwt stamped in a circle on the ball are as strong as the day they were struck. The letter that accompanies this lot states, "This rare gutty ball is a prize for any serious ball collection." Amen to that!

Once part of the famed Frank Hardison golf ball collection, and comes with an LOA attesting to that fact from the Old Golf Shop in Pinehurst. 

(Lot inspected and description written by JE)