While I’ve been buying and selling for many years, I know exactly when I became a ‘collector’ - the summer of 2005.  A trip to Long Island to play golf with Duane Hayden and Bill Anderson was the turning point.  Both have wonderful collections, with many pieces displayed throughout their homes. Flying back to Richmond, I kept reflecting on how nice it had been.  I had one cabinet at home with ceramics and glassware in it, but I had a lot in the closet.  It was all paid for - why not enjoy it!?  That week, a successful night at a local auction house netted me three nice old oak cabinets. They were delivered the next day and I went to work emptying boxes.  The cabinets weren’t full, but I had nice pieces on all the shelves and they looked great!

I get the most enjoyment from ceramics, glassware, silver and art; but with so much out there, and with limited display space, I needed to focus on my favorite area of collecting - the ceramics.  Decorative Golf Collectibles, by Shirley & Jerry Sprung, begins with 40 pages on ceramics which, they say, “…includes stoneware, earthenware and porcelain”.  I’ve sold a lot of my other pieces.  I did keep a few silver items, and have added to that selectively.

I did the same with glassware.  My original cabinet was a ‘2-shelfer’ - the lower shelf is full of Doulton Kingsware, with the upper shelf full of Hawkes glassware, most with their ‘19^th Hole’ scene engraved around the outside.  That cabinet hasn’t changed a bit.  I’ve been fortunate to assemble a nice collection of (blue) Spode, Gerz, Crown Ducal, Foley and Doulton (Lambeth and Morrisian Ware), as well as a few pieces of Schwarzburg, Nippon & Noritake, Kenlock Ware, and others.  I love the diversity, and in some case the similarities, of the colors, forms and designs.  Ceramics show really nicely and, except for a few pieces with silver accents, don’t require polishing! 

Some of my favorite pieces include a 1937 Ryder Cup porcelain “Souvenir” tea set (tea pot, sugar and creamer right under the Schwarzburg charger - I picked up the taller 2-handled vase behind them later - it’s not part of the set) by Doulton, copyrighted 1936, my one Wood & Wood biscuit barrel, the Schwarzburg charger with the purple-ish border, the Lambeth tyg and the smallish, dark blue Gerz humidor directly under it, the 40-piece set of Black Knight china, and a number of pieces of Morrisian Ware, especially the red spittoon, the tall (13”) red ewer and, my favorite, the blue pitcher (directly above the tyg).

My favorite glassware pieces, in addition to the Hawkes, are the few pieces of Handel Ware (milk glass, per ‘Sprung’) which I’ve been lucky to acquire.  Two are shown on the table (the reddish pieces).  The one to my right has ‘TOBACCO‘ on the lid and the infamous ‘Christy Girl’ pictured.  The other, to my left, appears to be particularly early. It has ‘CIGARS‘ on the lid, and is signed ‘Handel “Ware” #86/137’ and marked ‘DECORATED BY P.J. HANDEL  MERIDEN CT. USA’ on the base.  “P. J.” stands for Phillip Julius (Handel), one of the founders of the company, which began in 1885. 

My prized silver pieces include a set of Captain’s wine-tasting spoons (which are actually silver plate - the detail is wonderful) in the original case and two sterling pieces – a tiny vesta and a French cigarette case – each with a golfer in an enameled scene (beware of modern fakes!!!).  The vesta is hallmarked 1894, and is marked “Douglas Golf Club Won by (blank) 1922”.  The cigarette case is marked “Le Trianon” (a resort area In Bordeaux) and is probably 1930-ish.  In the ‘art’ category, I have a number of nice prints and two wonderful old watercolors.  One, above the Kingsware & Hawkes cabinet, by Tristram Ellis, is 1910-ish and is a study of the R&A, with golfers and the starter shed in front.  The other, by W. E. Croxford, is 1890-ish and shows golfers on a links course bordering the sea.

I wanted a club collection but, again, I had to focus.  I can’t afford a ‘world-class’ collection, like many of you have, so I decided on collecting clubs from a single family.  I felt that picking a family that went back into the play-club era and continued on into the early 1900s would be fun, as it would provide a good representation of the development of the wood-shafted club.  For whatever reasons, I decided on the Parks.  I have a small collection of Wm Park Jr. clubs, about 20, but I’m still waiting for my first Wm Park Sr. club.  Perhaps if I’d stop buying ceramics I could afford one!  Eventually, I’d like to put together a small collection of balls including a featherie, a hand-hammered, a couple of gutties, brambles and meshes, and perhaps a few interesting designs.

My ‘interest’ has become somewhat of an ‘obsession’ (sound familiar?) and that’s why I enjoy the GCS so much.  Where else can you find so many people also thoroughly obsessed with golfing history and the different ways to enjoy it, whether it be hickory play, books, clubs, balls, medals, ceramics, art, postcards, silver, glassware, ephemera, tees, whatever!  I’ve found many wonderful pieces to add to my collection and have made many good friends.  Even though we see each other maybe once or twice a year, I talk with many on the phone on a regular basis.  Hopefully, when our kids are grown I’ll be able to attend many more GCS events than I do now!

The future?  Well, my obsession will undoubtedly drive me to continue collecting.  And I love it!  I’ll still buy & sell, but will focus on adding to the collection.  In the back of my mind, I think about doing a book similar to Sprung’s, but only on ceramics.

Unfortunately, many collectors will hesitate to showcase their collection for fear of theft and, in today’s world, that’s a valid fear.  I would expect/hope that most, if not all, have security systems, as do we. Digital video systems are now tiny and easy to hide/disguise, and can be triggered by separate motion detectors.  All can be set to run off a backup battery system.  The peace of mind is well worth the initial investment!

Anyway, if you’re ever in the Richmond, VA area, you’re more than welcome to stop in for a visit, a meal, and a bed if you need one.  In the evenings, you’ll likely find me sitting in a room with four cabinets (maybe more by then) filled with golf memorabilia ….a glass of wine or whisky on the table and a golf book, an auction catalog, or a Bulletin or Through the Green in hand … and probably a smile on my face.

Cheers!  Peter Helweg

Ps  Please give me a call if you have any ceramics you want to sell!!!