Does anyone know?

[Matthew.M]

Hi everyone,
I have come across this old box that says ‘Stud and Jewel box- compliments of PGF’ I cannot find any similar item on the internet to compare. It has 3 untouched PGF balls in it marker ‘G status 3’. I also can’t find any other balls the same on the internet. It also has ball markers with ‘True Temper Golf Shafts’ printed. Someone told me this could be an old tournament gift worth a lot of money or simply might be a one of a kind box worth a lot. Ideas?
Also marked on the balls packaging is ‘Made in England’ yet PGF has always been an Australian brand. So strange!

 

[jim8flog]

I can tell you that PGF is Professional Golf Forgings, Club maker in Australia. The one club I have is a Kel Nagle, look for when he won The Open to give an idea of age

 

[Matthew.M]

‘Compliments of’ makes it seem like it’s a tour gift to a player perhaps?

 

[Crow]

PGF were Precision Golf Forging and were indeed an Australian company, they advertised heavily in UK golf magazines in the 1970s.
Strangely though, you don't see many examples of their clubs for sale on ebay.

Below is an advert for Status clubs from Golf World, September 1972. So I'd guess your box is of a similar date.

They might also have made balls or maybe they were produced by Dunlop or similar in England and marked PGF.

As for value, sadly very little like most vintage golf stuff.

 

[Matthew.M]

Thanks Crow,
Well done on finding an approx date. I deal with vintage items a lot but this is my first dip in the golf world as you say vintage golf items aren’t worth much. In my experience for an item to be worth a pretty penny it needs to have Rare/few of its kind made and little still in circulation. Also of course needs people interested and in good condition.
I have NEVER seen a PGF ball and I encourage anyone who reads this to try and find one. Never made them. If Dunlop made some and printed PGF on them then feel free to find others alike. (When the company was bought by Walkinshaw in 2011 they started making Optima balls so I’m not talking about them.)

 

[Crow]

Thanks Crow,
Well done on finding an approx date. I deal with vintage items a lot but this is my first dip in the golf world as you say vintage golf items aren’t worth much. In my experience for an item to be worth a pretty penny it needs to have Rare/few of its kind made and little still in circulation. Also of course needs people interested and in good condition.
I have NEVER seen a PGF ball and I encourage anyone who reads this to try and find one. Never made them. If Dunlop made some and printed PGF on them then feel free to find others alike. (When the company was bought by Walkinshaw in 2011 they started making Optima balls so I’m not talking about them.)

This is the only part that counts, condition helps when interest is there but if nobody is interested then it won't sell.

Take Scotty Cameron putters and paraphernalia, completely overpriced for what they but because there's a buzz about them people willingly pay over the odds.
A rare set of vintage Slazenger golf clubs, who on earth wants them? (Luckily hardly anyone so I can pick them up for peanuts)

 

[jim8flog]

Should have looked at the label on the shaft on my PGF SW and not trusted my memory as Crow says Precision not Professional

 

[Crow]

To add to this, I found the below advert in an October 1973 copy of Golf World, doesn't say where or who made the balls but if it wasn't PGA then I'd guess Penfold based on the Birmingham address.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

To add to this, I found the below advert in an October 1973 copy of Golf World, doesn't say where or who made the balls but if it wasn't PGA then I'd guess Penfold based on the Birmingham address.

View attachment 29256

Not Penfold at that address.

They were based at Bromford, factory still there, whilst the address above is completely the other side of the city.

 

[Crow]

Not Penfold at that address.

They were based at Bromford, factory still there, whilst the address above is completely the other side of the city.

I made the suggestion of Penfold because both companies were based in Birmingham, not because they shared an address.

(I'm sure I read an article about the factory being demolished too, around 2007)

 

[Deleted member 18588]

I made the suggestion of Penfold because both companies were based in Birmingham, not because they shared an address.

(I'm sure I read an article about the factory being demolished too, around 2007)

Sorry you're quite right. Factory was demolished, don't know what happened to "Mr Penfold" who continued to decorate the entrance for a number of years after GBD ceased to occupy the premises.

If I remember correctly the firm's "Iron Byron", used for testing, stands as a monument by the first tee at Ladbrook Park GC.

Re: any connection between Precision and GBD (Penfold) the fact that they were both Birmingham based was, I am pretty sure, purely coincidental. (Birmingham is a bloody big place)

 

[Crow]

Sorry you're quite right. Factory was demolished, don't know what happened to "Mr Penfold" who continued to decorate the entrance for a number of years after GBD ceased to occupy the premises.

If I remember correctly the firm's "Iron Byron", used for testing, stands as a monument by the first tee at Ladbrook Park GC.

Re: any connection between Precision and GBD (Penfold) the fact that they were both Birmingham based was, I am pretty sure, purely coincidental. (Birmingham is a bloody big place)

I've seen that Iron Byron, didn't know it came from Penfold's factory.

The Penfold comment was pure conjecture, but looking more closely at the ball there are similarities between the Status and a Penfold Ace of similar vintage, see the spread of dimples to allow the printing of the names, although the dimples look larger on the Penfold but that might be because the picture was taken much closer to the ball.

 

[mcbtex]

Hi everyone,
I have come across this old box that says ‘Stud and Jewel box- compliments of PGF’ I cannot find any similar item on the internet to compare. It has 3 untouched PGF balls in it marker ‘G status 3’. I also can’t find any other balls the same on the internet. It also has ball markers with ‘True Temper Golf Shafts’ printed. Someone told me this could be an old tournament gift worth a lot of money or simply might be a one of a kind box worth a lot. Ideas?
Also marked on the balls packaging is ‘Made in England’ yet PGF has always been an Australian brand. So strange!View attachment 29237

Hi Mathew M,
Did you ever find out anything about the g status pgf golf ball?
I have a single packaged ball in box with tee ... and I'm trying to find out more about it.
Thnx,
MCBTEX

 

[Deleted member 23344]

Hi Mathew M,
Did you ever find out anything about the g status pgf golf ball?
I have a single packaged ball in box with tee ... and I'm trying to find out more about it.
Thnx,
MCBTEX

If you check his profile, he hasn’t been on here since March 2020. The above three posts were his only contribution.

 

[Crow]

Hi Mathew M,
Did you ever find out anything about the g status pgf golf ball?
I have a single packaged ball in box with tee ... and I'm trying to find out more about it.
Thnx,
MCBTEX

I think the collected posts above are as much as you're likely to find unless you're lucky enough to come across someone who actually worked for PGF's UK operation at the time.

To summarise:
PGF were Precision Golf Forgings of Australia
Approx date for the ball is mid 1970s
Not a common brand in the UK but probably is in Australia
Value, maybe £5 or £10 to a collector who doesn't have an example.

If you want to sell it then your best bet is to list on ebay in the vintage golf section under vintage balls and see what the market dictates.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Perhaps people should start their auction at 50p and just see what people will give them....... Isn't that the real reason to ask about these things?

 

[Crow]

Just did a quick "sold" search on ebay and this is the only ball sale I could see.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

But there was also this mixed bag bargain that someone got.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-...=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[Bratty]

Perhaps people should start their auction at 50p and just see what people will give them....... Isn't that the real reason to ask about these things?

Ah yes, but I believe they ask so they can know what to set the reserve at? Don't they have to sell it for whatever the final bid is?

 

[Crow]

Ah yes, but I believe they ask so they can know what to set the reserve at? Don't they have to sell it for whatever the final bid is?

You see a lot of vintage golf gear on eBay where I suspect this has happened, a "knowledgeable" friend has said it must be worth £50 and so it's listed at that but in a real life market it'll struggle to make 50p.