A rare gold medal, won by the great British golfer Sir Henry Cotton at the 1937 Open Golf Championship in Carnoustie sold for £39,600 today (13 July 2007) at Bonhams in Edinburgh. Medals of this kind are rarely seen at auction, and it is particularly timely that this one should be sold as the Open returns to Carnoustie for the first time since 1999.

Before the sale, the medal had been expected to fetch £25,000-30,000. However, one determined collector ensured its price exceeded everyone’s expectations.

By 1934 when he won his first Open Championship, Henry Cotton was hailed as the best British professional golfer since ‘The Great Triumvirate’ of J H Taylor, James Braid and Harry Vardon at the turn of the 20th century. 1937 was Cotton’s second win and the medals from these two victories were made into a bracelet worn by his wife ‘Toots’.

Posted: 07|15|07 at 9:20 am. Filed under: Press Release.