Lot # 132: Tom Morris Putter "Used" by Toney Penna, ex FX Fry

Starting Bid: $150.00

Bids: 9 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Spring 2021",
which ran from 3/3/2021 12:00 PM to
3/20/2021 8:00 PM



Sold by Tom Morris of St. Andrews, this putter was forged by Tom Stewart and includes a foreman's inspection mark on the end of the toe.  The club appears to have its original shaft and grip.  This club possesses the character and look of a great antique.

This putter is from the Fred X. Fry collection, and bears Fry's inventory Label "#16."  On December 10, 1939, Fry lent this club to Toney Penna, the famous golfer and club designer who was instrumental in the rapid growth of MacGregor during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.  On the inventory sheet for this club, Fry wrote:  "12-10-39 Loaned Toney Penna this #16 on his trip on Coast 'plugging' MacGregor Line.  He wants to use as sample for his own model, to save & return when thru. Also to get me some old putters??"  Fred X was a true collector—always looking for the next great find! Penna was a good man and returned this putter. A copy of Fry's inventory sheet is included with this lot. Its interesting to note that Fry valued this putter at $50 when he wrote the description prior to 1939.  That was a significant amount back then, and in a world of almost no collectors...

Fry, the dean of American golf club collectors, was busy building his collection forty years before the Golf Collectors Society (now The Golf Heritage Society) was formed in 1970. Collecting with great passion, Fry amassed around 450 clubs, mostly putters. He cataloged, displayed, and cherished his treasures.  A number of national magazines ran articles about his collection of putters between 1936 and 1963. For more on Fry, and to view some of the articles, Click Here.

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