Nassau Country Club Champions Handicap Trophy Pitcher - September 3, 1900

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/9/2012

For consideration is this rarefied artifact from the infancy of the game of golf in the United States. In 1894,the same year the United States Golf Association would form, a nine hole course on Long Island was formed as the Queens County Country Club. This club was the forerunner of the Nassau Country Club as it would shortly come to be known, and found its present home in Glen Cove, New York in 1899. To honor their club handicap champion in 1900 the N.C.C. presented a pitcher measuring at 7 1/2 tall by 8 1/2 wide. The underside of this pitcher is scripted Gorham electroplate 0250 5 1/2 pints. The trophy displays much as it did when originally presented to GEO.H.MOORE some 112 years ago. Over a century of display has led to some tarnishing, scratches and a couple dings on the outer portion of the pitcher. This tarnished state is also apparent on the inside of the pitcher. Early trophies relating to the most prominent country clubs at the turn of the century are exceedingly desired. Prominent the Nassau Country club was and still is today-they hosted the 1903 U.S. Amateur and 100 years later will host the 2014 U.S. Womens Amateur. Inter-club matches were the most fashionable way at the turn of the century to determine the leading country clubs of the day, and Nassau Country Club teams, as well as those at other nearby exclusive clubs, had many prominent members who often were in the news of the day. They were embarrassed and often objected to the ribbing of being defeated by some score such as eight and seven. Prominent member J.B. Coles Tappan devised a system whereby, losing an entire match, the result would only be 3-0 or, even after a bad loss on the outgoing nine, a player could regain his game, win the back nine and perhaps halve the total match and gain a tie or only a 2-1 loss. This became a gentlemanly way of playing and thus a new word was added to the lexicon of golf, The Nassau bet was born. This lot offers you the opportunity to share in the rich history of the turn of the century club which is still a viable part of the United States golf scene over 100 years later.