Jim Leaptrott, a Portland, Ore., collector who was in the
telecommunications business and is now director of sales at a country club, will
be among the bidders at the Ellis sale. Leaptrott’s father attended the first
Masters Tournament in 1934 and golf clubs were always around his house growing
up. "I met Jeff Ellis, and the monster has grown," he says. He owns about a
dozen clubs, ranging in value from $200 to $20,000, including a rut iron
designed to hit balls that landed in gouges caused by wagon wheels. Leaptrott,
whose clubs have been on display at the British Columbia Golf House, looks
forward to the Ellis auction. "It’s going to be an opportunity for people to be
exposed," he says. "A lot of this stuff is almost folk art, and you apply folk
art style to the game of golf, and you have something very pleasing. You get us
going, and there’s fire in the belly."
However, Leaptrott cautions that a person buying only for
investment purposes may be disappointed. "If you buy any type of collectible
with strict investment in mind, it loses its allure," he says. "With odd
collections, like golf clubs, there’s not a broad-based market. It’s not like
coins or stamps where you have guides that list types and prices. About the only
points of reference are dealer price lists and auction catalogs."
Ellis tried to find a buyer interested in his entire
collection, and approached Estey about obtaining it outright, but his friend
declined. "What’s fun is collecting," Estey explains. "If you buy a collection,
you have it, but then you’re not collecting anymore."
As for Ellis, the sale marks a turning point in his life. The
collecting that started as a teenager became a passion that he turned into his
life’s work. "It’s been a journey that has taken 30 years," he says. "I started
with nothing and built a collection. Now the books are done—at 15 pounds,
there’s not a lot that’s missing."
Additional Information
 Well-Rounded Collections
Debra Ryono is associate managing editor for Worth.
|
