Go Big or Go Gnome: Golf Souvenir Sells for Record
This year, the greatest victory of the Masters golf tournament might be the record-setting sale of a favorite souvenir.
The Masters golf tournament ended on Sunday, April 12, and, despite his history-making second victory in a row, champion Rory McIlroy might be overshadowed. For many golf fans, the real star of the tournament is a lawn gnome.
The Masters' gnome was introduced in 2016. Since then, they have become the tournament’s must-have souvenir. One of the original 2016 gnomes just sold for a record $28,827.60 at Golden Age, an auction house specializing in golf memorabilia.
According to Golden Age, the gnomes weren’t exactly an immediate hit. The Masters produced very few of them in 2016 and did not sell any in 2017. It wasn’t until 2018 that the tournament started selling an annual gnome with a different outfit for each year. It didn’t take long to become a fan favorite. Gnomes sell out so quickly that Elliott Heath, news editor for Golf Monthly, reported in 2025 that they were limited to one per customer.
There is, of course, plenty of other merchandise, including mini gnomes, gnome T-shirts, and more, but, for fans, they don’t compare to the real thing. On sites like eBay, gnomes from present and past years sell for hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, making their original $50 price look like a bargain.
Credit: amwatson39 on eBay.
This collecting frenzy is one reason why, according to Golden Age, this year’s gnome may be the last. Augusta National is said to disapprove of commercialization, including having spectators search shops and spend hours in lines rather than watching the tournament. But, as of this writing, that’s only a rumor; although having their future in question might only make the gnomes all the more desirable.
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