There’s a new Masters champion but memorabilia from two former champs drew a lot of attention from collectors before the final round on Sunday.
The putter used by Arnold Palmer during his 1964 Masters win sold for $97,690 at Green Jacket Auctions while the cigar humidor that served as the trophy when Sam Snead beat the field in 1954 went for $94,152.
They were two of the premier items in an auction of memorabilia, timed to coincide with the year’s most anticipated day of golf. In all, the auction generated over $1 million in winning bids.
Green Jacket’s Ryan Carey told ESPN.com that Palmer is “quickly becoming the golf collecting hobby’s Mickey Mantle.”
The biggest price paid was for a mysterious Masters jacket dating to the 1950s which soared to $139,349. It was purchased at a thrift store for $5 back in 1994. How it got there isn’t known and green jackets are never supposed to be sold. The original recipient’s name was cut out of the lining.