The major determining factor in the price of a wooden antique golf club is scarcity. Hickory shaft clubs are very rare, even though thousands of them were made at the time. The rarer the club, the more value it carries. The more the value, the higher the price. Quality, originality, history, limited production, etc., are other things that can add to the value. Clubs that are made in limited quantities are often worth more in most cases, but not always. Even though Burke, Wilson, Spalding, MacGregor, Kroydon, etc., were the leading brands then, a lot of lower quality of these were made then. Here is a simple guideline on clubs that hold more value:
- Putters that have woody heads.
- Golf irons with oddly shaped heads.
- Any of MacGregor, Park, Army & Navy, Gibson, Carrick, Anderson, Morris, etc., on smooth-faced irons.
- Original shaft, grip, condition, and everything in between.
- Irons that are associated with famous players like Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Sam Smith, etc.
There are quite a number of golf collectibles that wouldn’t fetch a lot. These are often common and don’t hold more than playable or decorative value. Clubs that have chrome/stainless steel or nickel heads, dots/lines on the face scoring, back stamps, or handles with aluminum caps, are mass-produced by brands like Wilson, Spalding, etc., and are not hard to find. This way, they might not be worth more than $50.