John Rose | Sterling Silver Miniature Golf Club | Birmingham | 1968 | Original Case

John Rose | Sterling Silver Miniature Golf Club | Birmingham | 1968 | Original Case

Golf asks for patience and a steady hand; here the game is made small enough to hold between two fingers.

John Rose was a Birmingham silversmith. Birmingham was an important centre of British silver manufacture, producing both substantial domestic silver and smaller decorative pieces, and sporting subjects found their way into silver miniatures and novelties. This example, hallmarked in 1968–69, takes the form of a golf iron.

The piece is modelled as a miniature golf iron. The club head has a lined face like the grooves of a real iron, and it joins a slim, straight shaft. Spiral lines towards the top suggest the wrapping of a leather grip. The back of the club head is hallmarked for John Rose, Birmingham, with the date letter T for 1968–69. It sits in its original fitted case, which is hinged and covered in black, with a gilt-tooled border and two brass catches. The lid is lined in cream satin and the base in black velvet.

Excellent condition.

Key Details

• Maker: John Rose, Birmingham
• Hallmarks: JR maker’s mark, Birmingham anchor, lion passant and date letter T (1968–69)
• Material: sterling silver
• Form: miniature golf iron
• Case: original fitted case, hinged, black textured covering with gilt border, satin and velvet lining
• Dimensions: length 10.6 cm
• Weight: 8 g (golf club only)
• Condition: excellent
• Buyer profile: golfers, collectors of silver miniatures and novelties, and anyone looking for a hallmarked gift with a sporting theme

Collector Appeal

The miniature reproduces the recognisable details of a golf iron, from the grooved club face to the wrapped grip. Its hallmarks record the maker, the silver standard and the year of assay, and the original fitted case keeps its presentation intact. It has a natural place among collections of sporting memorabilia and small British silver.

Small things made for leisure often outlast the afternoons they were made for.