How can you tell if that old golf ball lying around in the basement is actually worth a fortune?
The growing popularity of golf as a sport has led to its increased worth in the auction house and Lyle's Antiques Price guide is the only book which can help you evaluate golfing memorabilia from ashtrays to books, clocks, old clubs, and, of course, balls.
Unlike other publications, Lyle gives actual prices paid at auction rather than simply auctioneers' estimates. The 30th Edition is now out and carries the details of over 7,000 antiques, including a special section on golfing memorabilia.
Lyle's editor Tony Curtis believes that Americans are the most enthusiastic collectors of golfing antiques, although the buyers are often quite secretive and regular bidders at auction may be buying for themselves, someone else or a club.
He said: "Most golf clubs have some sort of display in their clubhouse and in some cases, such as the Royal & Ancient at St Andrews, that array is dazzling."
Curtis also stressed that while items such as golfing books can sell well (a copy of the Rules of the Perth Golfing Society dating from 1824 recently fetched £38,000 at Christie's), the real money is found in golfing equipment.
An old ash, hazel or hickory club stamped Morris, Auchterlonie or Forgan may be worth something even though sets of hickory-shafted clubs were often discovered in the attics of elderly grandparents.
Balls are easier to appraise and the ones to cling on to are old 'featheries'. These are balls made of boiled down feathers stuffed into animal skin casing, turned inside out and stitched on the inside - featheries were never round and were all handmade.
Unfortunately, feathery balls are frequently fakes and can turn up at car boot sales for a tenner or so, usually in packs of threes. If this is the case, Curtis suggests that you should get the discovery checked by an expert before getting too excited.
But despite the need for caution, the right ball can make you a fortune. As Lyle shows, an exceptionally rare Henry's Rifled ball circa 1903 and invented by Alexander Henry of Edinburgh recently sold for £29,900 while even a fairly basic Challenger Bramble-pattern golf ball raised £200 at Christies.
And for those of you despairing about finding the right sort of ball or lacking the funds to bid for the more expensive items, Lyle also highlights a number of esoteric items of memorabilia, including a pair of Victorian ladies leather golfing boots dating from 1895 which sold for £690.
Lyle's Antiques Price Guide, 30th Edition 2000 is published by Ebury Press and is priced at £19.99.
