Lot # 5: J. MacGregor BB Rake Mid-Iron

Starting Bid: $2,000.00

Bids: 7 (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



All golf clubs have a head, face, nose, neck, back, heel, toe, and sole, but this iron has feet! According to Thomas Taylor Jr's US patent dated march 10, 1914, this club is not made with simple "rake teeth" but with "a series of feet like miniature flat irons so that it will crush massively and yet with great speed through the ground just below the ball."

These "miniature flat iron" feet found on this club are also found on 8 additional rake irons known to the auctioneer. Five were made by James Anderson of Anstruther, Scotland, and sold through the Chicago Golf Shop. An example is pictured and discussed in The Clubmaker's Art 2nd ed, volume 1, page 260-261.  The sixth iron was made by the Walter Hagen Golf Co. It is great club as well, but was made 10-15 years after the Anderson irons.  The final two are a MacGregor C 122 Mid-iron and the MacGregor BB iron offered here.

This MacGregor rake iron is in outstanding original condition. Even the original patina on the head is untouched. The 38 1/2" long shaft is original as is the grip.  The shaft bears a MacGregor shaft stamp.

This iron is among the rarest hickory shaft clubs MacGregor produced. This example is one of only two known to the auctioneer. A brilliant piece!

This club is bottom left in the group image that accompanies this lot.

Update 3-7-20: Thank you to a client who reminded me of their MacGregor rake that I appraised in 2009. This listing has been updated to show that the auctioneer knows of two MacGregor rake mid-irons, not one. For those keeping score at home, the soles of the two rakes are slightly but distinctly different. The club offered here has a series of three large feet while the sole on the other MacGregor rake has four slightly smaller feet. 

 

 

Views: 773