Ryan Carey — Owner, Green Jacket Auctions - a podcast by Gordon G. Andrew

“Never buy golf memorabilia as an investment; buy it because you love the item. But if you get your hands on the right item at the right price, you might accidentally make money on it.”

 

Ryan Carey

Owner, Green Jacket Auctions

Boston, Massachusetts

Ryan Carey is exactly the type of person that the Golf Yeah podcast was created to showcase. A lawyer by training, and a practicing attorney, around 13 years ago Ryan Carey and his partner Bob Zafian, identified an opportunity in the world of golf memorabilia, and in 2006 they created on online business called “Green Jacket Auctions,” that’s grown into the largest auction house of its kind.

To give you an idea of the scope of Ryan’s business, its most recent auction featured more than 1,000 lots, with items ranging in price from $25 to more than $200,000. To appreciate those numbers, this morning I searched Ebay for golf memorabilia, and found only 124 items…ranging from a Francis Ouimet trophy listed at around $20,000, to an unsigned photo of Jack Nicklaus kissing the Claret Jug for $5.55.

Based on their passion for golf, and for collecting other rare sports items, Ryan and Bob have created what’s become a thriving enterprise that’s expanded into related services, including appraisals, authentication and private searches for hard to find collectables. And in the process, they’ve established reputations a leading authorities on just about everything related to golf…and as their company name suggests…everything related to the Masters Tournament.

I had not met nor spoken with Ryan prior to his interview, but from what I was able to discern from his footprints on the internet…I learned that he’s a native of Tampa, Florida…an avid golfer, a fly fisherman, and a lover of fine wines. He currently resides in Boston, and hoped he’d made the conversion to being a Red Sox fan. As you’ll learn in his interview, he’s a Tampa Bay Rays fan.

Show Highlights: 

• How a shared interest in golf with a stranger that he met online led to creation of Green Jacket Auctions


• The public showdown with Tiger Woods that served as the first major catalyst for business growth


• Why collectors are better off buying a few high priced items, rather than a lot of less expensive items


• The rationale for keeping an online archive of every item that’s ever been sold on Green Jacket Auctions


• What makes most autographed items from golf professional less valuable than other sports autographs


• Ryan’s “official” announcement regarding the recent dispute with Augusta National Golf Club


• How Green Jacket Auctions took the market for autographed golf items away from Ebay


• Simple advice for people who are interested in starting a collection of golf memorabilia

Notable Quotes: 

On starting the business: “For both...

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Website of Gordon G. Andrew