In the summer of 1961 Karsten Solheim met with Ted Wooley, the owner of Golfcraft, in Escondido, Californiia, and acquired enough forged clubheads to make 100 sets of irons that would be the first Ping irons every made.  Once back in Arizona, Karsten broke with convention and milled two cavities out of the back of each iron head.

These first irons—the "Ping 69" model—proved to be a gigantic watershed moment in golf history. In making these first irons, Karsten ignored all the various existing muscle back, flat back, two-level back, step back, angled back, etc. iron designs. He did not create a variation on any of those themes.  Instead, Karsten introduced a cavity back, perimeter-weighted iron that was nowhere to be found in the market. As he continued to develop his novel design, it would soon race to the front and revolutionize the world of golf equipment.

Missing its 5-iron, the Ping 69 set (2-4, 6-PW) offered here is from those first, original 100 sets.  These irons have their original straight shafts and original Chevron grips. All irons (except the PW) have their original gold "Ping 69 by Karsten Pat Pend" sticker on the back of their heads. The 2-iron measures 38 7/8" in length. The second 100 sets of Ping 69 irons were stamped "Ballnamic" on the sole and had bent shafts up at the grip.  Again, this is the very first version.  Missing a 5 iron, yes.  Still major-league historic clubs?  Yes! 

For more on the Amazing story of Karsten and his production of the earliest forged perimeter-weighted cavity-back irons, see chapter three "The Bent is Meant!" in And The Putter Went Ping.