How To Bid On Remarkable Golf Antiques In A Green Jacket Auction

1920s Meriden silver plate bar pitcher                  Green Jacket Auctions

 

Golf has a very rich history; a history that includes many fascinating people, and singular places unique to the game. For both players and fans, golf history is often a significant part of what makes the game so appealing.

Fortunately, every now and then, an auction comes along, that presents the chance to own a piece of golf's past. Right now for example, Green Jacket Auctions is holding its Summer Golf Auction, featuring over 1000 lots of art, antiques and collectibles.  

In addition to golf clubs and equipment from various different eras, the bounty includes historic tournament guides, programs and flags, many of them signed by iconic champions of the past. You'll also find silver and gold sculptures as well as a myriad of awards and trophies from a multitude of tournaments.

Sterling Silver Match Holder featuring an Ivorine Scorekeeper        Green Jacket Auctions

   

Personally, I've got a number of items on my watch list, among them an extraordinary Sterling Silver Match Holder from the 1920s. What makes it particularly unique is the tiny ivory scorecard affixed to the outside of the case. I'm half in love with it already. 

I've also got my eye on an ultra-whimsical golf trophy and an acorn shaped tee box marker from Oak Hill CC, among other things.

The auction is now live, but bidding ends on August 22, so now's the time to check out the treasures. You can peruse the collection, get additional information and place bids at the Green Jacket Auctions website. 

If this is your first foray into the world of online auctions, you may also want to review the protocol, so as not to miss out on the item of your dreams due to a beginner's mistake. The bidding rules... as explained by Bob Zafian and Ryan Carey, the guys behind Green Jacket Auctions... can be found HERE.

Good luck with your bids!

Bidding Rules Explained:

Quite frankly, our bidding process can be quite confusing to first time auction bidders. We borrowed the system from some of the largest and most popular online auction companies in the world, but some of it is does take some explaining. This is especially true for our Extended Hours bidding process. So here it is. If you have any questions, PLEASE feel free to contact us at our numbers or email addresses below. Not fully understanding the Extended Hours process will put you at a distinct disadvantage against experience auction bidders, so please take the time to read and understand the rules.

How does Extended Hours Bidding Work?

All initial bids must be placed by 8pm Eastern this Saturday, August 22, 2015. At that time, Extended Hours bidding begins. But in Extended Hours bidding, you will ONLY be allowed to bid on those exact lots you placed a bid on PRIOR to 8pm. If you've placed at least one bid on that particular lot at some point during the auction, you may bid on it again during Extended Hours bidding. The auction will not be over until no lot in the ENTIRE auction has received a bid for 15 minutes. If one lot (any lot) receives a bid, the 15 minute timer starts all over again for every item in the auction. If the auction is still going after 2am Eastern, we reserve the right to conclude the auction at any point. Even we don't know exactly when we will close the auction, so don't wait too long to bid!

For Example, if Lot 35 was bid on by 7 different bidders prior to the start of Extended Hours bidding, ONLY those 7 people may bid on Lot 35 in Extended Hours bidding. And those 7 bidders may bid on Lot 35 at any point between the start of Extended Hours bidding (8pm Eastern on Saturday) until the entire auction ends later in the night (or, actually, into Sunday morning).   

What's the best way to try to win an item that you really want in the auction?  

There are really two schools of thought:

      (1) For those that don't mind hanging out with us Saturday Night (and well past midnight and into Sunday morning), and that enjoy the action, just make sure that you have at least 1 bid placed on every lot that you might conceivably want to win. Then, check back with us after 8pm Eastern and monitor your lots, see where the bidding is at, and try to win the lots you want...

OR

       (2) For those of you who don't want to spend your Saturday night with us, feel free to place an AutoBid (MaxBid) for the maximum amount that you are willing to pay for that lot. Our computer system will keep track of that max bid, and will only increase your bid if someone bids against you. The other bidders never get to see your AutoBid - the computer just starts automatically outbidding them (up to your maximum stated amount) as someone bids against you. If no one bids against you, then it simply never goes up and you get the lot for your original bid.

How do AutoBids work? What is "First in Time"?

At any point (yes, even if you are currently the high bidder), you may place an AutoBid on any lot in our auction. An AutoBid is a maximum bid that allows our computer system to automatically place a bid for you should someone start bidding against you. The key advantage of an AutoBid is that your bid will be "First in Time" and therefore prevail over someone else trying to make the exact same bid. This comes into play all of the time since all bids must be made in set 10% increments. Your AutoBid will be hidden to everyone, and the computer will only utilize it in order to reach a reserve or if someone bids against you. That is to say, using an AutoBid will tell the computer to always place the lowest possible bid that will make you the high bidder (up to your Maximum stated amount). Placing an AutoBid also allows you to place a bid up to your desired max bid amount and not have to worry about staying up all night watching our auction.

When will the auction/Extended Hours bidding actually end on Saturday night?

Well, with over 1000 lots in this auction and bidders in virtually every time zone around the globe, we expect that the auction will go well past midnight Saturday night (and, therefore, into Sunday morning). After 2am Eastern, we reserve the right to conclude the auction at any point. Even we don't know exactly when this will be, so don't wait too long to bid. At 2am Eastern, we will be monitoring the quantity of bids per 15 minute period and will then decide to conclude the auction (at a time unknown to anyone else) once bids have noticeably slowed.  

Will we call or email or text with auction updates?

Certainly!  Every auction we have several bidders who want text or phone call updates - usually when people are busy on Saturday night (or want to go to sleep!) and want an update on how their lots are doing. Heck, a couple years ago we even provided text updates to a customer while he hosted his daughter's wedding!

If I can't get to a computer, can I place a bid over the phone?

Of course! While most bids are simply placed over the computer, feel free to give us a call and we can manually place a bid for you, increase an AutoBid, etc.

What times of day are Green Jacket Auctions available to talk via phone?

Bob and Ryan are ready, willing and able to assist you with anything you need. Feel free to call us any time of day or night. If for some reason we aren't available, we will get back to you right away. And we both stay up late, so don't be afraid to call as late as you want!

Both Bob and Ryan can be reached via our Toll Free number 855-GJA-GOLF, or you can reach us at 973-627-5133 (Bob), and 813-504-3935 (Ryan). And please leave a message if we don't answer. We'll return the call within minutes, if not seconds!

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.