Augusta National Fighting Auction Of Art Wall's Green Jacket

Steve Hummer reports on the lawsuit filed in a Texas district court  to stop the sale and how the club has already successfully gotten the auction postponed.

According to court documents filed by Augusta National Inc. (ANI) in its suit to halt the sale of Wall’s Masters jacket at auction, the tournament winner is allowed to take his jacket off the grounds for a period of one year after his victory.

“Thereafter, it must be stored on ANI premises for use only on the grounds and during the annual tournament,” it claimed in the documents. “Thus, a champion’s Green Jacket is owned by ANI, with a champion having possessory rights when on the premises of ANI.”

Responded Florida anesthesiologist and serious golf collector Stephen Pyles, “I have owned six, maybe seven, green jackets. I can go on the Internet right now and buy you a member’s green jacket.”

Hummer also gets into the whole market for members and former champion jackets.

Comments

[20/20 rearview]

Any chance, Dr Mackenzie's family can sue
for non payment of his design fee?

Maybe they can make some more money and donate to the Fraudst Tee
for some more feel good write offs

[gov. lepetomane]

The linked story is informative. Because of the tremendous success of the tournament and exclusivity and furtive nature of the club outside of the tournament, any innocuous item personal to the club (not the gear sold in the gift shop or online) has potentially substantial market value.


Given the club's reputation for secrecy and conformity to rules, especially when Cliff Roberts was alive, the story surprises me.
Of course, unless they continually inventory jacket location, make continued membership dependent on not leaving the premises with the jacket, and remove the champion's jacket as soon as the tv camera is off . . .
Control, rigid control. It's part of ANGC's aura. I would not want to tangle with their lawyers.

[No longer Used to be Former Stack & Tilt Convert]

Wouldn't it be cheaper for ANGC just to win the auction than pay all the attorney fees?

[styled]

Not that the writer captures it, but this story has a bizarre feel as there is nothing like "after-market" Olympic medals, championship rings to show the fleeting nature of athletic glory. I'm not a lawyer -- though I sleep with one -- but might one of the legal eagles tell us if they are familiar with the term "possessory rights?"

It might be easy for ANI to argue the jackets are its property, plain and simple, just like the gloves worn by the waitstaff (strike that), just like the aprons worn by the kitchen staff. Yet the argument would clearly lack nuance and the defense could take testimony from any number of defending champions who would say, "Heck, yeah, it's my jacket. I shot 270 that year to earn it."

[DTF]

styled, I think you are on track. Not a lawyer here but seems like the club just ignored it as tens if not a hundred or more changed hands over the years and now all of a sudden they are up in arms over Art Wall's jacket?

That dude was a hole-in-one machine wasn't he?