Lot # 164: Tom Morris c 1920's Matching Set of 7 Irons

Starting Bid: $250.00

Bids: 15 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Summer 2021",
which ran from 7/7/2021 12:00 PM to
7/24/2021 8:00 PM



What a great find--a complete set of seven irons marked "Made by Tom Morris!"

The back of each iron is stamped "Handforged / Rustless / Lillywhites / Whitehall / Made by Tom Morris / St. Andrews. It also bears the triangle & dot cleekmark that was found on these autograph series of Tom Morris clubs sold by British retailer Lillywhites in the 1920's.

The set includes the following irons: 1, 2, 3, jigger, mashie niblick, spade mashie, and niblick, as is indicated on their respective soles. Made with stainless steel heads, all the clubs are in great shape and sport what was an unusual back design for the era when these clubs were made.

During the 1920s iron sets were often sold to order, with the buyer selecting the clubs he or she wanted in the set. This set has nice graduations in shaft length. Note that the jigger, which this set has, was described in 1901 by Walter Travis follows: "There is a niche between the iron and the mashie, especially when you are called upon to carry a hazard close up to the green and with some possible trouble beyond. To negotiate such a shot successfully it is necessary either to put cut on the ball if an iron is used, or to play a full mashie shot without sparing it. This is just where the jigger fits nicely.  The head is a cross between an iron and a mashie."  In this Made By Tom Morris set, the jigger's shaft length puts it right between the 3 iron and the spade mashie.  It would appear that the original owner selected a jigger over the mashie for this set.

For reference, the 1 iron measures at 37 3/4" long.

All original shafts and grips. Heads stamped with the owner's initials R.A.R. Truly a beautiful set of irons. 

Views: 531