Many would be forgiven for presuming that the green jacket is the most coveted item at The Masters. But if they asked the frantic fans desperately waiting to enter the merchandise store at Augusta National, they would discover that they were sorely wrong.
Once patrons pass through the gates of Augusta, there is perhaps only one thing more desirable than the iconic piece of outerwear. And its future is shrouded in mystery.
Birdies and eagles may be rare on Augusta’s unyielding fairways but The Masters gnome could give them a run for their money.
The artifact in question is a 13.5-inch, ceramic collectible gnome. Dubbed The Masters gnome, it is one of the hundreds of items sold in Augusta’s vast and ever-changing inventory for the major championship. And it is golfing gold dust.
The item, worth $59.50, is limited-edition, with a new variation being released for every edition of The Masters. This year’s variation of the cherubic, rosy-cheeked gnome clutches a Masters-stamped coffee cup in one hand and a green-and-white umbrella that can even be pushed up and down in the other.
The craze began when gnomes were introduced in 2016, originally as a gift to grandees in hospitality. They hit the merchandise stores in 2018, sending patrons into a frenzy.
Roughly only 1,000 gnomes are made available for sale per day during tournament week, split between the North and South shops on the Augusta grounds. And patrons are permitted to purchase only one per person.
The restricted supply and the ever-increasing demand for the mementos have transformed the artifact into an ultra-rare, super-lucrative collectible.
This year, the limited daily supply has been stripped from shelves within an hour of the store opening, a merchandise employee told the Daily Mail.
The lines for the merchandise stores, which can already hit up to 90-minute waits, have turned into a bloodbath to be in prime position.
Patrons have even been camping at the gates from 3:30am. Not to be the first into Augusta National to snatch up the optimal viewing spots in the towering galleries, but rather to be first in the queue for the stores and in with a chance of snatching up their own figurine.
The Masters gnome has had no trouble finding its way to the second-hand market, either. Patrons who manage to get their hands on the item can cash in on hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
The 2025 edition is still available to buy on sites such as eBay and Poshmark, if you are willing to part with $550. A gnome from 2018 is currently priced at $11,999 on eBay.
This year’s gnome is already listed on many second-hand sites, going for eyewatering prices up to $2,200 – and is likely to only rise.
That’s because this year, gnome fever has reached an all-time high. No thanks to the mystery surrounding its future.
Golf fans were thrust into a panic this week when a rumor began to spread that this year could be the beloved bearded artifact’s last.
The suggestion that its 10th anniversary could mark the last time the totem graces Augusta National’s merchandise tent has whipped up a frenzy, only akin to that of Beattlemania.
Yet, no one knows for sure if the sweet-faced creature has made its final appearance. Not even Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley.
The fate of the gnome was even raised at the chairman’s annual press conference on Wednesday when a quizzical reporter asked him about the ‘trivial’ matter.
‘Number one, the question is not trivial,’ Ridley responded. ‘Number two: I’ve been asking that question for several years and they won’t tell me the answer. So I can’t help you.’
Whoever the all-powerful ‘they’ is remains unclear but the secrecy – with even Ridley seemingly in the dark – has only ratcheted panic. So much so, that cashiers in the stores are having to stage interventions.
One cashier told Daily Mail that she has spent the week trying to dispel the rumor that this is the last year in order to quell the fears of concerned shoppers questioning her on the matter at checkout.
‘If they get even more worked up, there will be a stampede,’ she explained.
‘I cannot confirm the rumor,’ she added with a conspiratorial wink.
Whether it truly is the Masters home’s last dance among the pines, remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain, the poor cashiers still have three days of gnome-mania.
