The craze for Masters gnomes is growing. Little golf-centric statue is now a coveted collector item
Gnomes, those quirky statues people often have in their gardens, are flying off the shelves at Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Gnomes, those quirky statues that people put in their gardens, are flying off the shelves at Augusta National.
The Masters golf-centric gnomes have been selling out within a couple of hours each morning after the tournament gift shop opens. Patrons are more than willing to wait in hourlong lines for the $49.50 ceramic figurine that has become a highly coveted collector’s item.
Augusta National has been selling the 1-foot-tall gnomes — which come in different colorful designs each year — since 2016.
And they’re growing in popularity and value as time passes.
One seller has listed the collection of eight Masters gnomes for $16,000 on eBay.
Others who visited the shop this week have already put this year's gnome up for sale on eBay at nearly 10 times what they paid.
John McGovern and his wife Erin made the trek to Augusta from Carlsbad, California, and said the gnome was a “targeted item” for them.
“They are so cute," Erin McGovern said.
John McGovern suggested the couple might give it to a family friend when they get back to California after the Masters. His wife has other plans.
“No, it's going in the garden,” she insisted.
Others have no plans to allow their gnomes to endure the indignity of residing outside in potentially poor weather conditions.
After all, it would likely diminish its value.
“We'll probably sell it," Pam Threlkheld of Ninety Six, South Carolina, said after purchasing a gnome on Saturday.
“We've heard it's worth like five times what we're paying for it,” her husband Dwayne Threlkeld added. “Everyone was talking about it, so I figured let's get one while we're here.”
Patrons can
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