Decades and decades before any golfer ever heard the acronym "COR," spring faces clubs were being produced. This spring face iron uses six rivets to hold a corrugated steel face in place over a hollow head.  Spalding’s 1903 catalog states that spring face on these clubs was capable of delivering incredible distance AND that the ball will land “dead” when “approaching the green from a distance. “  That’s quite a combination, especially if it were true! 

In America, Spalding always advertised the spring face iron as having a hollow head.  In Great Britain, at least for the first few years following the 1902 introduction of this club, Spalding advertised spring face irons as having a spring steel face and a hollow head filled with gutta percha.

The club offered here is stamped "A.G. Spalding, Made In Gt Britain" inside the circle on its back. It is not known how long Spalding produced spring face irons in Great Britain, but irons with the Gt Britain mark are far more rare than those not stamped such.  Spalding's spring face irons were produced for a number of years in America, between 1902 and 1919. This is a clean example with its 39 3/4" original shaft and leather wrap grip.  

For more information on this lively iron, see TCA2 Vol 2 p 415