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Lot # 13: 1919 Bobby Jones, "Young Phenom at the New Orleans Open" One of His Greatest Early Photos!

Category: Golf

Starting Bid: $25.00

Bids: 43 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Holiday Premier Auction 2017",
which ran from 11/30/2017 12:00 AM to
12/16/2017 8:00 PM



In the summer of 1919 a young seventeen year old boy named Bobby Jones came to New Orleans from Atlanta and entered into the Southern Open golf tournament. He was sort of a local Atlanta celebrity but had not busted onto the national scene yet, however he would win the tournament in dramatic fashion, even executing the most famous shot of his life. His tee shot on the very first hole went into the rough and landed inside the discarded shoe of a worker on the course. He was not allowed a drop and Bobby pitched both the shoe and the ball (which eventually came to rest on the green) in one of the most incredible golf shots anyone had ever seen. He would of course go onto bigger and better things, but in many ways this Southern Championship in New Orleans helped cement his legacy as one of the best golfers of his time and give him added confidence to hit the national scene. The offered new discovery from a local New Orleans photographer named Ed Agnelly shows seventeen year old Bobby Jones as he poses on the course during a break in the action. A spectacular bust shot with his driver, it is interesting to note that there is a surviving story from his caddie that mentions he had to put extra tape on Jones' driver for this tournament because he had a swollen hand, and the taped handle can clearly be seen in this image! Looking young and full of life, this is one of the finest known images of Bobby Jones from early in his career that we have ever seen. Condition is not bad on this silver gelatin masterpiece with handling wear and some remnants of artistic painting from publication which could be professionally removed. We sold a full body example of this photograph a few years ago from the same photographer with this being a slightly enlarged and cropped version done at the same time so that the newspaper had a larger "bust" shot to use as well. There will never be another of these to surface and this has to rank among the top handful of known Jones images to ever be offered at public auction!

Size: 5x8
Designation: Vintage 1
Condition: 2.5/5
Quality: 5/5
Overall Grade: 7.5/10

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