Robert Forgan became a giant among clubmakers during the second half of the 18th century. He learned his craft while working as an apprentice to Hugh Philp. In 1856, upon Philp's death, Forgan took over Philp's clubmaking business and prospered well into the 20th century.
When this putter was made in the mid-late 1880s, Robert Forgan was the clubmaker to His Royal
Highness The Prince of Wales, hence the POW stamp directly underneath the "R. Forgan" stamp on the top of the head. The shaft is stamped "R. Forgan & Son, St. Andrews".
The club is completely original, the sheepskin grip even has its original top and bottom whipping. There is a slight amount of wear along the top line of the face, but it is nothing major. Overall, this is a clean example of a long nose putter made by one of the greatest names in 19th century clubmaking.
This Forgan putter is on the far right of the group image. For more on Forgan
and his prominent role in the history of clubmaking, see TCA2 v1 p70-74.