2023 April Golf Memorabilia Auction - Closing Date 4/10/2023
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/9/2023
Ben Hogan's Personal Model Reg. 1622 Personal Used Complete 1-9 Iron Set
When a call comes in from Fort Worth, Texas you make sure to answer it. That call led to this. Remarkably residing in this lot is Ben Hogan's very own endlessly significant full set of 9 irons, starting with Hogan's 1-iron! This represents one of the only sets in existence that were once swung by the man known for having best swing of them all - and that was no secret. 'The Hawk' visibly tinkered with this set that he used prior to breaking away from MacGregor in 1953 and as early as perhaps 1948 when the set was first produced. Based off of the specific design, these are likely on the earlier end of that timeline, pre-1950. It comes with a welcomed Texas-based line of provenance that began after Ben Hogan's handoff to his good friend Dennis Lavender, an individual that carries much weight in the industry. Ben Hogan's sweat equity was invested in these irons. Lead tape, strike marks (photo #6) on the hosel and shaving either side of the 'Ben Hogan' (p. #2) on the backside of the head is present upon examination. Signs of usage include wear on the face in addition to aforementioned unique customizations of the 1-9 irons set in this lot. As the old adage goes - these are tools, not jewels. There is no serial number on the hosel of these, common of Ben Hogan's personal Reg. 1622 models.
"I have no reason to doubt they belonged to Hogan, but I do think someone else played them after he did. My current thinking is Denny Lavender was given two sets that Hogan used to create prototypes, this one and the Jimmy Powell set. They may or may not have been copied by the craftsmen at MacGregor to make tournament clubs for him. That’s unknowable. The USGA's found 1 iron 1622 is nearly identical to this example, but it appears to have polished chrome on the weight bar, not satin chrome like yours (this example). The shafts appear original. Ben Hogan definitely wanted to lower the center of gravity as evidenced by the lead weight being added to that location on the clubheads. This set is a wonderful discovery! I haven’t been this excited in years!" - Ben Hogan authoritative expert Jeff Martin proclaimed.
The origin story that began with Ben Hogan's own bag, to friend and confidant Dennis Lavender's possession before he put them on display at Cedar Crest's newly built clubhouse where he was head professional. After being encased at Cedar Crest golf club for a handful of years, the set was acquired by C.R. Shipley. Select irons display additional wear from over 70 years of storage, please reference accompanying lot photos for this detailing. Shipley's grandson Stephen Farnham consigned these in hopes of appreciation and preservation of the Hogan legacy for many years to come. The Golf Auction would be happy to supply additional photos of Ben Hogan's personal 9 irons ranging from 35 3/4" - 39" upon request. A signed letter of provenance from C.R. Shipley's grandson Stephen Farnham comes with this lot.
The Golf Auction is proud to present our 2023 April Auction. This is a large eclectic group of memorabilia representing all areas of the golf collecting world, so please utilize the categories column to help navigate you towards your preferred collectibles. Bids must be placed before 10pm ET, Sunday, April 9th in order to participate in extended bidding
AUCTION CLOSING RULES:
Place your bids NOW. The auction will close beginning at 10:00pm EDT Sunday, April 9th. When placing your INITIAL bid in the auction, you must agree to the terms BEFORE confirming your bid. Each lot has its own 30 minute countdown clock during extended bidding. The clock will extend 30-minutes from the time of the most recently placed bid for that lot. If no bids are placed on that lot during a 30-minute period, the lot will close. Place your bids now!
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