Help...have thousands of balls and no idea what they are worth.

[Newbie Collection Agency]

My neighbor of 22 years, a member of the PGA and avid golfer since
1947 has moved and left me garbage cans full of golf balls and 10
sets of clubs. I want to sell all of it. I am taking care of his place
until he can sell it and cleaning it up. I know about as much about
golf as someone who has just landed on Earth and never heard of
golf so feel free to make fun of me but I need advice. I have called
some of the local Golf Courses and Driving Ranges and they all
say different things about what this stuff may be worth.
I have estimated there may be as many as 5,000+ balls and
about 30 clubs in good condition and around 6 bags.
I even found a magazine's and newspaper articles on Golf dating
back to the late forties and fifties. He was a PBY pilot stationed
in the Pacific and was one of the first pilots to take off land a jet
on a carrier in the Korean war and his name was mentioned in some
of these articles so he was a fairly accomplished golfer. His name
is Jerry Pepper.

I am finding tons of Titleist Pro V1, Pro V1X, Dt/Solo, NXT, and NXT Tour.
I also found a whole bag of balls marked "PGA"

I have not looked too closely at some of the clubs but found a new
set marked "Arnold Palmer"

Some of the bags were in really bad condition and some look like they
just need refurbishing.

I also have so many pickle jars full of tee's there must be an easy
thousand of them.

I do not mind someone making a little money on this and am willing to
let it go cheap but I don't want to be taken advantage of either.

ANY suggestions or ideas....on where to go to learn about used golf
equipt is greatly appreciated.

Also, What would be the best way to clean a golf ball and how to restore
golf bags that are in good condition but are stiff.

Thanks for any advice you can give me!


P.S. I never been interested in golf until I grabbed one of the
clubs, not having a clue if it was the right one, and after digging
a hole in the ground and hitting air for 30 minutes finnally hit home
on one and that sucker took off like it was shot out of a cannon
and went clear accross the pond and sailed what I estimate to be
at least 200+ yards over the pond and the guys house accross from it
and over his trees. Oops....I hope it did not hit anything critical
but it was a cool feeling.....I even got out his little putting practice
thing that spits the ball back at you and had tons of fun with that.
Hmmm...maybe I should keep some of this stuff for the fun of it.
Maybe golf is not that fun to watch but smacking that ball across
the pond was a blast!

Thanks again for any help on this!!!
Please feel free to email me
kloyless@swbell.net

[AK-Edge]

If it was me I would keep it, it sounds like you might have some kind of valuable stuff in there. But if not, you should ask the guy who gave it to you for some info on the equipment. Hopefully you get into the game though, its loads of fun!

[rckymtnglfr]

If you want to post a list of clubs that you have or send me an email, I'd be happy to tell you if they have any value. I've been a collector for a while. Just give me as much info that is stamped on the clubs as you can.

The balls are going to be tough. There is obviously value in them, it is just a matter of whether it is worth your time. Good used Pro V1's will sell for about $2 on Ebay, but you have the hassle of sorting through them, listing them then shipping them. By the time you are done, you'll have hours invested and only make $20.

There may be some older balls from the 40's that have value, but not enough to spend the time on it. The balls that have real value would be autographed or would be from the late 19th century or early 20th.

Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Brett

rckymtnglfr@yahoo.com

[iacas]

I collect logo golf balls, so if the balls all have company logos on them, then I'd be interested in them. You won't have much luck selling them. Old golf balls tend to yellow a little bit, and people don't like buying yellowing golf balls very much.

[aceadair]

It sound like you have some preety good stuff. I would suggest asking the guy who you got it from. He would most definatly know. It sounds like the stuff you have is something I want! As soon as you get the price figured out tell me and see we will see if we can figure it out!

[Guest]

Wow...I miscalulated the number of clubs...Over 100.
Due to the 100+ Texas heat I had to bring them inside
to begin inventory. A few look really old..Wood Shafts.
I need to find out how to remove the rust so I can read
them easier and clean the grips with armor all?
I clean rusty tools with transmission fluid but am not sure
I should try that with golf clubs....

The balls are going into nylon bags cleaned and sorted.
There does seem to be many with company logo's on them.

It will take me weeks to sort all this out. I have help though.
I am putting all this in a spreadsheet....So I can sort it.

So far I have found what look like complete sets of
Top Flight Pro Synchro Dyned Pro Flight
Arnold Palmer Signature
1- Titleist Tour Model 8
First Flight Golden Eagle Stainless

I still need to inventory all the drivers next.

I hope this is all worth my time....

I will get back to everyone probably by the weekend with
more info....

[rckymtnglfr]

I wouldn't worry about cleaning them unless you can't read the writing. It just adds to the time you have into them and sometimes it won't increase the value. Just trying to help you keep it simple.

Brett

[Ole_Tom_Morris]

Even those cut or discolored golf balls that have no collectible value can be used for backlot chipping practice or for kids to play with. I have been known to switch to a cut-up old ball on a water hole. My two cents: don't throw nothin' away.