Watch List notes:

Brass golf putter head, very rare, ex-Santo Christo de Castello (1667).215 grams, 4" x 1-1/2" x 1-1/4".This very rare artifact is the second one we have offered, the other being from the Dutch wreck Lastdrager (1653) off the Shetland Isles north of Scotland. This is no mere coincidence: As famous as Scotland is for golf, the fact is that the sport was imported to there by the Dutch in the 15th century, and wreck specimens like these are evidence that the sport was still being carried to the four corners of the world in the 17th century. Reportedly less than 25 golf-club heads up to the 18th century are known, including three more from the Lastdrager and this one from a Genoese wreck off Cornwall, all the shipwreck examples being the only ones known in brass as opposed to lead or pewter. Prices for these artifacts have reached as much as 9,000 GBP (Sotheby's Glasgow, July 17, 1989). The present piece is about 75% intact, with one missing side revealing a core of wood lined with what appears to be pewter, the rest in solid brass with clean, smooth surfaces in a typical aged-brass color. This shipwreck itself is also a bit of a rarity, as very few of its yields have been on the market since the W.H. Lane & Son (Penzance) auction of June 1, 1983.From the Santo Christo de Castello (1667), with certificate from the salvor.Recovered from:Santo Christo de Castello, sunk in 1667 off Cornwall, England

Estimate: 200-300 USD