This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/16/2018
President Eisenhower Signed Letter to Ben Hogan after 1955 US Open Loss, Retirement, Gambling, etc Content
Ben Hogan, the hall of fame golfer, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower had a fairly well documented friendship. Here is one such testament to that - a letter from President Eisenhower to Ben Hogan following his loss at the 1955 US Open. The letter reads as follows:
"Dear Ben:
I reached San Francisco the evening you finished in the Open. Early the next morning I tried to get you on the phone but learned you had already left town. Of course I was disappointed that you lost, but it was some consolation to learn that the man who won was playing with Ben Hogan clubs.
On the afternoon of that same day, I learned that young Fleck was in the hotel across the street and invited him over for a brief chat. He seems to be a very simple, unspoiled young man. I hope he stays that way.
In examining the newspapers, I was struck by the general similarity in the headlines, all of which clearly indicated appreciation of you as the greatest golfer of this period. No headline that I saw said "Fleck wins Open." They all said in some form or another, "Fleck beats Hogan." The implication was clear that if anyone was to get the Open title, his real obstacle was to beat you.
The papers were full of the hard luck instance of your last round, but the fact is that in your final appearance against old and young alike you equaled the lowest score turned in on the four-round contest on a very exacting course. Every man who loves the game will always hold you in the greatest admiration and respect.
Of course I was sorry that you felt you must retire, but I well understand some of the reasons and can guess at some of the others.
Please give my best wishes to Mrs. Hogan -- and of course, warmest regard to yourself.
As ever,
D.E.
P.S. I forgot to mention that I had some financial reasons for my disappointment, After all, at fairly close odds, I had picked you to beat the field; and I came close to making three smart golfers very sorry indeed!
D."
Dwight D. Eisenhower was a five-star general of the U.S. Army before serving as the 34th President from 1953 to 1961. Eisenhower, who played nearly 100 rounds a year while in office and was a playing partner of Ben Hogan, gave golf a very visible standard bearer and was a major contributor to the growth of the game in the decades following World War II. Also accompanying this lot is a copy of the return letter Ben had written to the President.
James Spence Authentication (JSA) has reviewed the signature and their auction letter of authenticity will come with this lot.
THE BOB COFFIN COLLECTION SOURCED FROM BEN HOGAN'S PERSONAL SECRETARY SHARON RAE
Bob Coffin is a man of action, as seen by a career of public service which began 35 years ago with his election to the Nevada Assembly. From that office Coffin was the people's choice for a seat in the Nevada State Senate. After serving in that position for the length that Nevada term limitations would allow, Coffin returned to his hometown of Las Vegas where he continues to serve his constituents as a city councilman to this day. For Coffin this passion for service to his country began with a stint in the United States Army, the same branch of service that his lifelong hero Ben Hogan had served in during World War II. Coffin a student of the Hogan approach to golf, learned his lessons well, so well, that he won the 1969 Nevada Amateur Golf Championship. Following that triumph it was only natural in 1979 that the hometown Las Vegas newspaper, the Review Journal, called on Bob to write a golf column for the paper. To this day accolades continue to pour in for this highly respected man in so many arenas be it golf, military, or politics. Most recently, he was named Person of the Year by the Southern Nevada Chapter of the Professional Golfers Association and received the Charles Dick Medal of Honor Award from the United States National Guard.
This career of public service over the lifetime of Bob Coffin offers much for us to respect. We owe him gratitude, but an even larger thank you as golf collectors is due him for his action in preserving the personal ephemera which belonged to Ben and Valerie Hogan. These mementos covering various stages of their storied lives had been gifted by both Ben and Valerie to their trusted personal secretary Sharon Rae (Please see photo that accompanies this lot of Mr. Hogan and Sharon Rae). Mrs. Rae following Ben's passing in 1997 became such a vital part of Mrs. Hogan's life that she accompanied her to both Ben Hogan's tribute at the 1999 Memorial Tournament and to the dedication of the United States Golf Association's Ben Hogan room that same year. Her prominence in the lives of the Hogan's was evident when she was remembered in both Ben's will with a cash bequest and a much larger bequest in Valerie's will. As a studious collector of Hogan material Bob Coffin stayed in contact with the Rae family, and following Sharon's passing was contacted by son Andy Rae. He informed Coffin that in his garage there is "still a bunch of stuff". Coffin, the man of action, caught a plane to Texas and completed a transaction that saved the Hogan collection as sourced through Sharon Rae for the golf collecting community. The Golf Auction is pleased with so much of the prized material of the Hogan's lifetime already placed in permanent homes to be able to make this offering. We recognize that it may be the last opportunity available to offer fresh Hogan material, which contains rock solid provenance, to the collectors of arguably the greatest golfer of the 20th century but certainly one of America's most idolized and interesting people of that century.
Please note: This auction will end at 5:00pm EST on Sunday, April 8th, with EXTENDED BIDDING to follow. All items in the auction will remain open until no items have received a bid within a 15 minute time period. Still the lowest rate among major golf auction houses, there is a buyer's premium of 17.5% for all items. All lots are free to be bid on until extended bidding has ended.