GOLF TREASURES:
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

I HAVE A WOOD THAT HAS A WOODEN SHAFT WITH A LEATHER GRIP IT HAS AUCHTERLONIE C&W ST ANDREWS SCOTLAND ON THE HEAD AND AUCHTERLONIE ST ANDREWS SPECIAL HAND MADE ON THE SHAFT IT HAS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A BONE INSERT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE CLUB AND TWO PEICES OF LEAD IN HOLES ON THE BOTTOM
Paul Langley

Dale Concannon writes:

Today, the vast majority of hickory clubs made between 1900 and 1930 are only worth between £5-£10 for irons and £10-£20 for woods. Of course, similar clubs are offered for sale at vastly inflated prices in antique shops etc. but this is the figure most collectors would pay for them at auction. As for those early steel-shafted clubs dating from the 1930's and 1940's with shafts made to look like 'cane' or 'wood' they currently have little value above £5. Therefore, the simple truth is that most 'antique' clubs found gathering dust in the attic or picked up at flea market or boot fairs are sadly, not going to make your fortune. That said, there are always exceptions.

So how can you tell if your club/s are in the common bracket? Made between 1900 and 1932, this usually applies to any golf club that:

• Has any marking on the striking face such as lines, dots or dashes. (Pre-1900 clubs had no face markings to impart spin.)
• Has a symbol or 'cleek 'mark denoting the company who made it stamped on the back of the head like an anvil or star for example.
• Has metal-caps at the end of the grip or thin Black leather grips.
• Has yardage ranges stamped on the back (80-125-yds for example).
• Has a stainless steel or chromed head stamped 'rustless.' or 'matched set.'
• Has a metal or aluminium shaft that is coated or painted to look like 'cane' or 'wood'.

As for your particular golf club/s:

As you have probably guessed by now, your golf club is not particularly rare. David and William Auchterlonie (D&W) of St. Andrews were prolific club makers around the turn of the century. From your description there is an outside possibility that it was made prior to 1900 and is a rarer spliced head wood. (The head joined to the shaft via an angled joint) If that is the case then it is worth around £100. If not, then you are looking at a value of just £20.