Talk about personality, this club has personality plus!  Made by Tom Stewart and bearing his pipe cleekmark, this iron was sold in the shop of Old Tom Morris in St. Andrews and bares the "Tom Morris, St. Andrews" oval stamp on both the back of the head and the shaft. But that is just the opener for an iron that presents far more about the life of a golf club in the 1890s than the normal and typical c1890s iron that comes down to us today.   

You know this club was a favorite of the owner when you consider all the things that have been done to it.  The owner gave the face a few lines of light vertical and horizontal scoring, and applied just over 2" of whipping to the base of the 38" shaft. Either the owner was trying to stop a small crack in the wood or wanted to stiffen up the club. But the most fascinating feature is the whipping that covers the entire original leather grip. This was a highly creative way to overcome a slippery-when-wet smooth leather grip or to repair a grip that might have been in a significant stage of deterioration. The whipping was wrapped from top to bottom but never covered with the typical black pitch as it would be prone to coming off in the golfer's hands during play. 

Note, the Tom Morris shaft stamp is quite faint, and not all the letters are visible, but its definitely the original shaft that once bore the full Morris stamp. 

This is one club where the repairs and owner alterations add a little something, making the club even more interesting and meaningful.