Vintage 1973 Green Jacket

        Green Jacket Auctions is proud to offer for auction an authentic Green Jacket. This Augusta National member's jacket is in great condition. Like many Green Jackets, the owner's name has been removed to ensure the Augusta National member who once owned this jacket will remain forever nameless. The idea for wearing green jackets began in 1937 when an Augusta National member suggested that member's wear green coats when they host The Masters Tournament so that spectators would know whom to approach for questions and assistance. Green Jackets were exclusively for members until 1949, when the jackets were first given to the winner of the Masters Tournament. Since 1967, the Hamilton Tailoring Company of Cincinnati, Ohio has been the primary, but not exclusive, producer of Green Jackets. Before 1967, Green Jackets were produced by Hart, Shaffner & Marx. It has been reports that, in the early days, Brooks Uniform Company produced the first Green Jackets, but it is not known if any still exist. The company that produces the Green Jackets does not make everything in-house; instead the company simply acts as the tailor or assembler of the jacket. The elaborate process includes piecing together the color Pantone 342 fabric from the Forstmann Company mill in Dublin, Georgia, the buttons from the famous Waterbury Button Company of Cheshire, Connecticut, and the Masters Patch from the A&B Emblem Company in Weaverville, North Carolina.
 

The History

        To simply state that authentic Green Jackets are extremely rare would be a vast understatement, as only a handful have ever been sold publicly. Even casual golf fans have heard about Augusta National Golf Club's extreme protection of the Green Jackets given to their members and Champions. Much of this information, however, is either untrue or greatly exaggerated. It is true that Augusta National Golf Club is currently relatively protective over the Green Jackets, but this was not always the case. In the past, many members and past Champions have owned multiple Green Jackets and would often keep their jacket at their home, not at Augusta National Golf Club. It has been reported that Sam Snead said that he owned several Green Jackets over the years, and even "lost" one. Augusta National members have also been allowed to order replacement jackets with no requirement that their previous jacket be returned or destroyed. In fact, Billy Casper ordered a larger jacket in the early 1990's, and once again a few years later. Members have even reportedly been allowed to be buried in their Green Jackets! Green Jackets have also been given as gifts by members on many occasions, most notably the Green Jacket given by Bobby Jones to a family friend that was famously sold at public auction for almost $100,000 in the late 1990's. It has also been widely reported about Gary Player refusing to return his Green Jacket to Augusta National after his year as reigning Masters Champion expired. Gary Player's Green Jacket was offered for sale with the remainder of Player's collection for $4 million by Sotheby's a couple years ago, although a buyer was not found.

        Many golf fans have also heard that Masters Champions may only keep their Green Jacket for one year before returning it to Augusta National; what most people do not realize is that the returning of the jackets is a relatively new rule that was put in place by Augusta National. Many previous Masters Champions never had to return their jackets. In fact, many past Champions or their family members still have those Masters Champions Green Jackets. Most notable, Green Jacket Auctions sold Doug Ford's Green Jacket for $63,000 in our September 2010 Auction. We know that Herman's Kaiser's Green Jacket is still owned by his heirs. Gary Player isn't the only recent Masters Champion to skirt this infamous rule, either. In April 2002, the Observer Sports Monthly reported that Seve Ballesteros also refused to return his Green Jacket. And last but not least, many golf collectors have heard the story of the Green Jacket that was found for $5 at a Toronto thrift shop in the early 1990's. That jacket currently resides in a collection in the U.K, and was the subject of an article in the 2008 Masters Preview edition of Golf International Magazine.

The Jacket

        Presented here is a vintage 1973 Green Jacket. The clothier label has been removed, but it appears that the jacket was produced by Hart, Schaffner & Marx. Several more recent Hamilton-produced Green Jackets have been sold at auction, but this is only the third Hart, Shaffner & Marx Green Jacket known to be sold publicly. Aside from the Doug Ford Green Jacket sale for $63,000, the only other Hart, Schaffner & Marx Green Jacket was sold by Robert Edwards Auctions for $37,700 in May 2004. No item better signifies Major Championship golf than a Green Jacket. Whether this Green Jacket ends up in a museum, on display at a country club, or in the winning bidder's closet, it will surely be the centerpiece of any golf collection.