Thrift Store Jackpot

[bcstones]

6 hours ago, ezgoer said:

I have low expectations at GW’s or Salvation Army’s for golf clubs so I rarely go to them. 
 

I've always never expected anything fantastic at any thrift store, flea market, garage sales etc...I've alway gone to look tho....yah never know

[Shallowface]

15 hours ago, ezgoer said:

This GW price subject keeps rearing its head.

 

Guessing it’s the same in all our regions but up here in Mn there’s so many other options. Both faith based and for profit thrift stores. Odd thing to me is those for profit locations usually not only have the best prices but also the best stuff.

 

Uo here I can think of at least 4 GW’s that are in brand new brick and mortar stand alone/not in a strip mall or leased locations.

 

At the faith or for profit stores $2.99-4.99 per club is pretty common. You rarely see a bundle or full set price. GW’s are $5.99-7.99 per. Think there’s always discounted days at all thrift stores. While the prices themselves aren’t that offensive it’s usually stuff nobody wants. Literally cheap modern ish barely single use retail garbage stuff. This isn’t even a pro line/ retail line bias, it’s usually just really undesirable stuff in general. I have low expectations at GW’s or Salvation Army’s for golf clubs so I rarely go to them. 
 

 

I approach everything these days with low expectations.  I got tired of the constant feeling of crushing disappointment.

[weakputt]

3 hours ago, Shallowface said:

I approach everything these days with low expectations.  I got tired of the constant feeling of crushing disappointment.

In the words of the late Coach V: "Don't give up. Don't ever give up."

 

Ben Hogan Apex Edge 2 iron.

[Maine Golfer]

Most strolls inside Goodwill or what not, you find nothing. But when you win you win!

[weakputt]

6 hours ago, Maine Golfer said:

Most strolls inside Goodwill or what not, you find nothing. But when you win you win!

That is so true. You can hit 7 thrifts in a row and find nothing. Then you can go to the next 3 and find gems. You never know. Its all in the Hunt, whether you come up empty or find a winner. Maybe my best was a minty Titleist Tour Extreme Heel Shafted NAPA for $2.99 or a rusty Cameron Circa #2 for $5.99. Or full sets of Ping Eye 2 irons for under $30.00. 

You just never know what you will find and what widows will donate.

[Joe85]

There is no rhyme or reason to how they price. My buddy is down in AZ and he got a Srixon F45 4 wood for $5 at GW

[Maine Golfer]

remove, wrong thread

Edited May 29 by Maine Golfer
remove

[Joe S]

On 5/28/2025 at 7:36 AM, Joe85 said:

There is no rhyme or reason to how they price. My buddy is down in AZ and he got a Srixon F45 4 wood for $5 at GW

Here in Louisville there is a standard price of $2.59 per club and they have recently started using bar code price tags so that the price is always right.   That makes almost anything that is decent worth buying.  It works this way about 90% of the time.  About 10% of the time a manager will arbitrarily decide that something is worth way more than that and price things like they are on the preowned rack at the PGA Superstore and keep them behind the counter.  

[Joe85]

httpw6v

Edited May 30 by Joe85

[Maine Golfer]

$1. What year is this?

[JimmyC59]

I think, and I'm no expert, it's from 1961. Here's a picture of the page in The Golf Club Identification and Price Guide.

8 hours ago, Maine Golfer said:

$1. What year is this?

 

[JimmyC59]

Just a footnote to the above posts about golf clubs at GW. I have a Simulator in a building in my backyard and I have found amazing Golf Art at Goodwills. 

 

[JimmyC59]

Just got this last week.

[EvanH]

10 hours ago, Maine Golfer said:

$1. What year is this?

 

1959 (at least from this angle).

 

The 1958 and 1959 models were basically the same* but the 1958s had a red-arrow at the back of the hosel and double sandblasted lines on the face.

I can't see a red arrow, so to my eye these are 1959 (if there is a red arrow they are 1958).

[*I did read somewhere once, I can't recall where, that there was a small difference in the forging between 1958/1959, but I've never held the same club from both years in my hand at the same time to compare]

 

Your PW would have complimented these nicely [a set of 1959s], but I sold them a few months ago.

They're a really nice heavy iron. 

1958 / 1959s used to win at least 3 majors (1958 Masters, 1963 US Open, 1968 PGA]

 

 

These are what 1958s look like:
[The title of the thread says 1959, but they are 1958s]

 

 

Edited June 8 by EvanH

[Maine Golfer]

Yeah its a 59

[Chiefmick]

On 6/7/2025 at 8:24 PM, JimmyC59 said:

Just got this last week.

JimmyC59, those are AMAZING finds!

[JimmyC59]

Spoiler

iM

10 hours ago, Chiefmick said:

JimmyC59, those are AMAZING finds!

I've also found great Van Gogh prints n nice frames, and any great landscape/seascape photos in nice frames. Usually less tha $10. If you need a frame, it's a great source as well 

Edited June 9 by JimmyC59

[JimmyC59]

3 minutes ago, JimmyC59 said:

  Reveal hidden contents

iM

I've also found great Van Gogh prints n nice frames, and any great landscape/seascape photos in nice frames. Usually less tha $10. If you need a frame, it's a great source as well 

$12.99

Edited June 9 by JimmyC59

[Chiefmick]

10 hours ago, JimmyC59 said:

$12.99

I need to start paying more attention to the art section, I guess

[Maine Golfer]

Had today off, big score at the Restore. $15 or so, why not

 

Light shafts on these. 70s? Strata block

 

aluminum shafts? One is bent. I hope the 2 is usable and I can extend it a tad. 

 

 

 

I'll get some coke and clean this up, I love finding Walter stuff. Year?

 

 

Cool looking store line.

 

[Stephen8802]

Almost all aluminum shafts are bent by now, some a little, some a lot. I've reshafted a set of '67s and a set of '69s and they are the best clubs I have. 

[weakputt]

1 hour ago, Stephen8802 said:

Almost all aluminum shafts are bent by now, some a little, some a lot. I've reshafted a set of '67s and a set of '69s and they are the best clubs I have. 

Yah, not a big fan of old aluminum shaft iron sets. I agree they get bent over time. Especially the wedge that looks toasted. May not even take them in if they were given to me.

[bcstones]

@Maine Golfer ...are all the shafts aluminum or just the Wilson Staff & might the Walter Hagen PW, along with the Mickey Wright 9 iron be steel shafted?

[weavej1]

I have questions…..

[JimmyC59]

43 minutes ago, weavej1 said:

I have questions…..

Ask away!

[Maine Golfer]

9 hours ago, bcstones said:

@Maine Golfer ...are all the shafts aluminum or just the Wilson Staff & might the Walter Hagen PW, along with the Mickey Wright 9 iron be steel shafted?

Just the staff and on review they are all in rough shape those shafts, ill remove the heads and put them in my stash. The Mickey and Walter and steel and playable 

[JimmyC59]

Just now, JimmyC59 said:

Ask away!

Are you referring to the hole in the sheetrock?

That was where the digital control panel for my late wife's therapy pool was. I have no interest in swimming laps so an indoor range was born, that then became a sim

[JimmyC59]

55 minutes ago, JimmyC59 said:

Are you referring to the hole in the sheetrock?

That was where the digital control panel for my late wife's therapy pool was. I have no interest in swimming laps so an indoor range was born, that then became a sim

That hole has been covered with a Guinness plaque.

 

[chrisosborne]

These followed me home a week or 2 ago, the Bobby Locke Personal irons have cleaned up well.  They old grips were falling off and hiding a rubber plug in the end of the shaft which had 2 punch marks or maybe they originally had leather grips and these were tack holes.  The Hogan wood is persimmon, the Spalding appears to be a cream coloured plastic and the other 3 are plywood.

[Jiggered]

The irons are circa 1956, I have a set of Bobby Locke Triple Crown which have a cord grip with plastic butt plug, the punch holes are to secure the plug in place.

If they were originally leather grips then they'd have had a wooden butt plug (also secured with punch holes) which would enable the leather to be tacked on.