Golden Age Auctions, a golf auction house, sold Gary Player's 1974 Claret Jug replica for $481,068 last week.
On Thursday, the golfing great posted to social media that the 1974 trophy was not sold by him or his companies.
"The person entrusted with ensuring the safekeeping of these items on my behalf and who was tasked with using them to enshrine my golfing achievements has done exactly the opposite by offering them for sale without my consent and against my wishes," Player wrote. "My legal team is taking appropriate steps to resolve this unlawful situation."
This is not the first time Player has claimed his trophies were sold without his permission.
It turns out, he made the same claim against the same auction house in 2020.
In a rebuttal on social media Thursday, Golden Age president Ryan Carey said, "Mr. Player's statements about the sale of replica trophies are not accurate."
Player's company, Black Knight International, according to Carey, "had serious cash flow issues [in 2020] and reached out to a number of action houses to sell its collection of replica trophies in order to meet its payroll. Golden Age then facilitated a private transaction between Gary Player's Knight International company and a private buyer. The net proceeds of this sale were paid directly to Gary Player's Black Knight International."
The private buyer then put many of the trophies back in a Golden Age Auction in November 2020. The 1974 trophy sold for $143,030, along with three other of Player's major trophies – 1978 Masters ($253,386), 1972 PGA Championship ($80,736) and 1965 Open ($97,691).
Player said his son Marc, who was CEO of The Player Group and Black Knight International, sold them without his permission. Just five months before the the 2020 sale, Player got $5 million and the rights to his name and likeness back from Marc.
Marc Player later said his father was part of the decision to sell the trophies, saying he needed to sell because of the golfing legend's outstanding tax bill with the South African government.
This author was present at the Gary Player International in October 2019 when Player, to the surprise of the crowd, himself auctioned off his 1968 Claret Jug replica.
In 2020, after Player said he had not given permission to sell the trophies, Carey said he heard from Player's legal representatives, who later backed down. Carey said he has yet to hear from Player's lawyers on the latest claim.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.