The jacket that once sat in a Toronto thrift shop sold for $139,349 in a 2017 auction, turning a $5 purchase into a six‑figure treasure. The auction opened at $5,000 and, after 34 bids, closed at the final price.
The jacket, spotted by a Canadian golfer in 1994, was a plain green piece stamped with Augusta National branding. Augusta National later confirmed it was a genuine club member jacket from the 1950s, not a Masters trophy.
Bidding spiked in the final minutes, with collectors from New York and overseas driving the price skyward. Ryan Carey of Green Jacket Auctions noted the intense interest, saying the hobby is attracting “smart” money and that golfers are willing to pay record sums for rare items.
While $139,349 is a record for a 1950s club jacket, it still trails the 2013 sale of Horton Smith’s first‑Masters jacket at $682,229. The trend shows that even modest finds can explode in value when they hit the right market.
The next big test will come at the 2024 Masters auction, where more original club jackets and memorabilia could fetch even higher bids.