Lot # 92: c1880 Unmarked Lofter

Starting Bid: $100.00

Bids: 8 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Spring 2023",
which ran from 4/5/2023 12:00 PM to
4/22/2023 8:00 PM



This circa 1880 lofter has its original shaft and sheepskin grip. The club measures 39" and the hosel measures 4 3/4" in length.  A nice thing about this club is that it was made around 140 or so years ago—which is just before golf arrived in America and began to grow exponentially in the 1890s and thereafter. The club is heavy, having a nice heft to it when picked up. The shaft is original as is the sheepskin grip.

This handsome wrought-iron head with its nicely dished face was entirely hand forged.  No drop forging was involved.  Irons stamped "Warranted Hand Forged" have drop-forged heads finished by hand.

The shaft is stamped "F.H. Ayres" -- once one of the largest retail outlets for sporting goods in the UK.  Ayers began selling golf clubs by the 1880s.  Initially, at least, these clubs were made for Ayres by independent clubmakers who marked the clubs with the Ayres name.

For more on hand forged lofters, see TCA2 v1 p124-125.

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