Presented
here is possibly the most significant piece of memorabilia that we have ever
offered. Prior to the 1990s, programs were only produced for the 1934 and
1935 Masters Tournaments (then-called the Augusta National Invitational).
The existence of those 2 programs has become the subject of legend - only a
handful are known to exist and few have changed hands in the last couple
decades. [Check out our Auction Archives for our April sale of a 1935
Masters Program which sold for an amazing $9156]
The inaugural Augusta National Invitational was fortunate to gain some national exposure simply because Bobby
Jones was attached to the golf course and the tournament. But no one,
including Bobby Jones, could have envisioned the fame that the tournament would
eventually receive. The first Augusta National Invitational actually lost
money, and the purse was quickly assembled by a few of the first Augusta
National members. But according to the 1999 book The Making of the
Masters by David Owen, this 1934 program also was a way for the club to both
make money and pitch potential members:
An additional
source of revenue during the first tournament was an attractively
printed program, which also served as an unofficial prospectus for
potential members. The program was forty-four pages long and
contained a map of the course, descriptions of the holes (written by
MacKenzie), photographs of the clubhouse and other points of
interest, historical information about the property, photographs of
most of the members of the club, and several dozen advertisements.
It sold for twenty-five cents. Overrepresented among the
advertisers were the club's numerous creditors, who had been offered
space in lieu of payment.
To this day, only approximately a dozen 1934 Augusta
National Invitational Programs are known to exist. The one presented in
this auction is surely one of the finest in existence, and most certainly the
best example ever offered to the public. The condition of this amazing
program cannot be overstated - a truly museum-quality piece of golf memorabilia.
Click on a thumbnail image above to display a larger image below.
Bid
Description
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