When A Masters Green Jacket Sold For $680,000

Jack Burke, Jr. (1956 Champion), Horton Smith, Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones chat during the Presentation Ceremony at the 1956 Masters — (Image credit: Getty Images)

If you’ve ever wondered how much a Green Jacket might sell for, then wonder no more.

Presented to the winner of The Masters each year, it is a prize coveted by all male professional golfers but one that is reserved for players who can tame the iconic Augusta National and outlast their opponents. It's perhaps the greatest of the many perks of winning The Masters.

Smith reigned supreme again two years later but it wasn’t until the 1949 edition of the event when Augusta National Golf Club began the tradition of giving champions a Green Jacket.

The nine victors from 1934-1948, including Smith, were, however, given Green Jackets in recognition of their achievement.

A close up of the Augusta National logo on a green jacket

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Smith played in every Masters from its inception in 1934 until 1963, the year in which he passed away.

His jacket, a 43 long, was believed to be lost but it was put up for auction last year by a distant family member.

And it fetched a hefty sum. Nearly $700,000 in fact. Sold through Green Jacket Auctions, the winning bid of $682,229.45 is believed to be the highest price paid for an item of golf memorabilia.

It is worth mentioning that not all Green Jackets are created equal, both literally and figuratively. The first is special, even if it wasn’t handed out until 15 years later.

There are others that would certainly going to carry serious value. Green Jackets owned by Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer or Seve Ballesteros would catch astronomical fees. They will, of course, never be available to buy or go up for auction.

We may never know how much someone would pay for one of those iconic bits of golfing history, but it's likely to be in the millions.

A lifelong golf fan, Andy graduated in 2019 with a degree in Sports Journalism and got his first role in the industry as the Instruction Editor for National Club Golfer. From there, he decided to go freelance and now covers a variety of topics for Golf Monthly.

Andy took up the game at the age of seven and even harboured ambitions of a career in the professional ranks for a spell. That didn’t pan out, but he still enjoys his weekend golf at Royal Troon and holds a scratch handicap. As a side note, he's made five holes-in-one and could quite possibly be Retief Goosen’s biggest fan.

As well as the above, some of Andy's work has featured on websites such as goal.com, dailyrecord.co.uk, and theopen.com.

What's in Andy's bag?

Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub-Zero (9°)

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (15°)

Driving iron: Titleist U500 (17°)

Irons: Mizuno mp32 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50°, 54° and 58°)

Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x