An Open Championship Claret Jug won in 1974 by South African golfer Gary Player has been sold for $481,000 at auction.
The 1974 Open at the Royal Lytham & St Anne’s course in Lancashire was Player’s third win in the world’s oldest golf tournament.
Run for most of its history by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the tournament is full of tradition.
Those traditions include the trophy, which dates back to 1872, and remains in the hands of the R&A.
The original Claret Jug is now in the St Andrews museum. The Open winner is presented with a second Claret Jug that dates to 1928 and which must be returned before the next championship.
The replica is an extremely fine piece of silverware in its own right.
The player receives an official replica of the trophy to keep.
They are extremely rare and come to market very infrequently.
Golden Age Auctions, who handled this sale, say it is the first time they have ever auctioned one.
They call the trophy, “unquestionably golf collecting’s Holy Grail.”
The 19″-tall silver trophy was made by Nicholas Winton Ltd. Player displayed it for many years, and continued to update the engraved list of winners until 2006.
Golf is extremely collectible. If it’s a cliche that the game attracts the well-heeled, the prices at the top end of the market show collectors have plenty of money to spend.
In 2022 a set of clubs used by Tiger Woods in his dominant 2000 and 2001 seasons sold for over $5 million.
Trophies and, particularly, the Green Jacket that is awarded to the winner of the US Masters, are the ultimate prize for players and followers of the game.
A Green Jacket realised $682,000 in 2013. It was won by Horton Smith, who was the first winner of the Masters, in 1934.
