1959 US Amateur Contestant's Badge (Nicklaus' First)

        The 1959 US Amateur is widely considered one of the most significant amateur tournaments in history.  At this tournament, a 19 year old Jack Nicklaus burst onto the national golf scene with his first major title.  Years later Nicklaus would say:

"I think in some ways I still didn't know how good I was at golf, even when I was named the No. 1 amateur at the end of the year. It took me a while to realize that I was the new Amateur champion. But I figured that I must be better than I thought, and so winning the U.S. Amateur was probably my first stepping stone to realizing that I might really have a future in the game."

        Yes, Jack Nicklaus certainly did have a future in golf.  Obviously, he went on to become one of the greatest golfers to ever live.  Presented here is an actual contestant's badge from that historic 1959 US Amateur.  Only a handful of these contestant's badges are still known to exist.  This is the first time that we have had the privilege of selling this great piece from a teenage Jack Nicklaus' first major victory.