It is only in the last thirty years that golfing memorabilia has become seriously collectable. There have always been afficianados who have purchased golfing items but since the early 1980s the market for golfing items has changed out of all recognition. Before then there had been little that was produced solely for the collectors' market. Everything had a purpose, whether it was a ticket to the Masters, a mashie niblick, Tom Morris feathery ball, a guide to a particular course, and advertising figurine, a championship medal or even a postcard of a famous player.