Found an interesting listing for some beautiful persimmons...with a huge catch

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

I was having a look on my favourite auction site to see what new persimmons have been listed when I found this beautiful set of persimmons for sale. 

 

The name inscribed on the sole is read as Inagawa Seijo. That's not a club maker I've heard of, so I googled it. It was very easy to find. Turns out it was this guy.

 

One of the leading Yakuza of postwar Japan! I'm guessing that these were order made as a gift for him.

 

I kind of want them, but.....

Edited October 14, 2021 by No_Catchy_Nickname

[TwistedSister]

50k yen?

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

1 minute ago, dhacker56 said:

50k yen?

 

Yep, so about $500US. That's one reason why I'm not buying them. 

[TwistedSister]

440.03 to be exact....

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

4 minutes ago, dhacker56 said:

440.03 to be exact....

 

Wow, the dollar's strong. I remember a point years ago when it was under 100 yen to the dollar.

[Tim Schoch]

While you were doing that, I picked up a set of 1977 Executive irons. They just spoke to me, like an ugly dog with a nice wag.  

[BIG STU]

3 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

I was having a look on my favourite auction site to see what new persimmons have been listed when I found this beautiful set of persimmons for sale. 

 

The name inscribed on the sole is read as Inagawa Seijo. That's not a club maker I've heard of, so I googled it. It was very easy to find. Turns out it was this guy.

 

One of the leading Yakuza of postwar Japan! I'm guessing that these were order made as a gift for him.

 

I kind of want them, but.....

LOL but if they were over here and say a set of Wilsons with Al Capone stamped on them and legit there is no telling what they will sell for

[TwistedSister]

5 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

Wow, the dollar's strong. I remember a point years ago when it was under 100 yen to the dollar.

No the yen is strong.  109ish to the dollar

 

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

3 hours ago, BIG STU said:

LOL but if they were over here and say a set of Wilsons with Al Capone stamped on them and legit there is no telling what they will sell for

 

I saw that some of his stuff had been put up for auction by his surviving grandchildren. I think his handgun fetched the most, over $800,000.  

 

I'm honestly not sure if these persimmons have any such value like that. I am sure there are collectors out there, but they'd probably require proof that he was given or ordered these clubs.

 

Kind of cool set of persimmons to have, given his role in the country's postwar history, and they do look to be extremely well made.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

2 hours ago, dhacker56 said:

No the yen is strong.  109ish to the dollar

 

 

I suppose it depends on what one considers the baseline. I remember a time when the dollar was under 100 yen, and have always thought as $1 = 100yen.

 

However, looking up the historical exchange rate, the rate has fluctuated far more than I realised, even getting below $1 to 80 yen in the summer of 2012, but around 130 yen to the dollar when I first came to Japan. Admittedly, as I'm British, I don't check the dollar to yen rate very often.

 

Think I need to update my baseline.

 

When I first came here, 1 GBP would get me almost 250 yen; after the Brexit vote and ensuing uncertainty, that dropped to as low as about 1 pound to 125 yen.

[Swingingk]

Those look so cool!  They have a bit of a PowerBilt groove to them with the triple face pins.  Neat connection to the past too.  The price tag made me flinch a bit at first but they're really only $150 each so that's not too bad.  

[scomac2002]

6 hours ago, Tim Schoch said:

While you were doing that, I picked up a set of 1977 Executive irons. They just spoke to me, like an ugly dog with a nice wag.  

 

There's a lot to be said for ugly dogs.  I've befriended a few in my day.  I probably have the laminate woods that match your set of Executive irons.  They're as ugly as sin with the high toe, flat top and big backside, but they sure do hit good!

 

My everyday irons are big arsed shovels, but I have a rapport with them.  They go pretty much where I want unless I put an absolutely horrible swing on them.  They make my look like I can play! 😆

[Tim Schoch]

17 minutes ago, scomac2002 said:

 

There's a lot to be said for ugly dogs.  I've befriended a few in my day.  I probably have the laminate woods that match your set of Executive irons.  They're as ugly as sin with the high toe, flat top and big backside, but they sure do hit good!

 

My everyday irons are big arsed shovels, but I have a rapport with them.  They go pretty much where I want unless I put an absolutely horrible swing on them.  They make my look like I can play! 😆

Yeah, I have the woods, too.  Eesh.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

4 hours ago, Swingingk said:

Those look so cool!  They have a bit of a PowerBilt groove to them with the triple face pins.  Neat connection to the past too.  The price tag made me flinch a bit at first but they're really only $150 each so that's not too bad.  

 

Don't say that! You've got me rethinking my decision not to buy😅

[BIG STU]

9 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

I saw that some of his stuff had been put up for auction by his surviving grandchildren. I think his handgun fetched the most, over $800,000.  

 

I'm honestly not sure if these persimmons have any such value like that. I am sure there are collectors out there, but they'd probably require proof that he was given or ordered these clubs.

 

Kind of cool set of persimmons to have, given his role in the country's postwar history, and they do look to be extremely well made.

LOL that was exactly where I got that little pun from

[BIG STU]

18 hours ago, No_Catchy_Nickname said:

 

I saw that some of his stuff had been put up for auction by his surviving grandchildren. I think his handgun fetched the most, over $800,000.  

 

I'm honestly not sure if these persimmons have any such value like that. I am sure there are collectors out there, but they'd probably require proof that he was given or ordered these clubs.

 

Kind of cool set of persimmons to have, given his role in the country's postwar history, and they do look to be extremely well made.

A bud of mine in Missouri had one of Pretty Boy Floyds ( a famous bank robber of the 1930s) handguns and it was authentic. It was one he had in his belt and never pulled when he was killed. Seems my friend's Grandfather was some kind of Federal Police officer during this time--- He had copies of the property report and impound reports too with the SN listed. He never knew how his Grandfather ended up with it---- He sold it to a collector back in the mid 90s for $85, 000

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

19 hours ago, BIG STU said:

LOL that was exactly where I got that little pun from

 

Thought you might have. Pretty interesting auction. I think they got over $3,000,000 for his stuff, which is not bad considering he's been dead 75 years.

 

Seems that's quite a lot of nostalgia in America for the Prohibition days and Great Depression similar to that in Japan for the Postwar era.

 

Just read up a little about Pretty Boy Floyd. Interesting. Became Public Enemy Number 1 after Dillinger was killed.