2423

Brass golf club head (Dutch), extremely rare.

Currency:USD Category:Artifacts / Shipwreck Artifacts Start Price:8,000.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Brass golf club head (Dutch), extremely rare.
All items are genuine unless noted. Most shipwreck coins and artifacts come with a certificate of authenticity (please check the description for each item). By bidding in this auction you understand and agree to the Terms and Conditions posted here.
Brass golf club head (Dutch), extremely rare. 207 grams, 4" x 1" x 1-1/2". While the game of golf is typically associated with Scotland, in fact it was imported there in the 15th century by the Dutch (who called it "colf"), whose continuing avidness for the sport into the 17th century is proven by this club head and several others known from the time. The corpus of known specimens up to the 18th century, however, is limited to only 23, and the four recovered from this wreck are the only ones known in brass as opposed to lead or pewter. Accompanying this piece is an extensive archeological analysis, including the type of wood shaft used (pieces of which remain in the end of this club head) and a list of all known specimens and how they were found. Also included are an article and catalog excerpts from the only other time such artifacts were ever auctioned (Sotheby's Glasgow, July 17, 1989), achieving prices of GBP9000 each. The object itself is very solid and intact, with lots of green patina over orangish surfaces, triangular in cross section with upward-sloping end and some green encrustation embedded in the wood bits at the other end. You don't have to be a golfer to appreciate the rarity of this piece, but if you are a historic golf memorabilia collector, or would like to be, you must take this opportunity to own a great rarity. From the Lastdrager, sunk in 1653 off the Shetland Isles, north of Scotland, with articles and original certificate from the salvager (Robert Stenuit).