My prior employer, PBA Galleries, no longer hosts golf auctions. I am sad to learn the news, but with the passing of illustrious auctioneer and friend of mine George Fox, it did seem inevitable. George passed away some years ago now, but he's still very much alive in my memories.
George and I ran the golf department at PBA Galleries, and we had a great time. Golf auctions are half research and sales, and half relationship-building. George was a relationships guy, who loved to introduce people to each other and to knowledge. He really was built to run the golf auctions.
I left PBA Galleries while the golf auctions were still going strong, but I've recently learned they are no longer hosting them. That is a shame because PBA specialized in antiquarian golf books, ephemera, and more recently hickory clubs. I don't know if anyone can quite fill the gap that PBA left behind. If you know of anyone I should look into, please let me know!
I now work in a vastly different industry: Financial investing data and information architecture. I have a lot of fun governing metadata (no really, I do!) because I really love the details. I think that's what attracted me to researching and cataloging antiquarian books in the first place. It is the details that really matter. It is the details such as inscriptions, condition, context, and history that create the value of a book or a hickory club or an event program.
I'll tell you my favorite PBA golf auction: The two-part sale of Ralph Elder's collection. That man collected everything golf related that he could get his hands on. And those cute little wrapper-bound stapled booklets about various UK golf clubs were pleasant little surprises and are no doubt a font of knowledge for those who study and love those courses. I personally cut my teeth on those two auctions. I learned so much about golf's history and about the current golf collectors' enthusiasm for all things rare and unusual.
If you want to talk anything golf, please contact me. I'll be glad to discuss, learn, and make a new connection.
