Collectors of Masters Tournament memorabilia can spend a lifetime building a cache of player pins, badges, autographed flags and other valuable trinkets.

Through countless hours of searching through antiques stores, online auctions and yard sales, a serious collector will have a rare item pop up from time to time.

Truly rare pieces are hard to come by.

And then there is Ron Griffin, who stumbled across a unique Masters item while fishing with his 8-year-old son, Tucker.

The Griffins were fishing in a stream not far from their Germantown, N.Y., home when the youngster saw something in the creek bed.

"We usually find Indian arrowheads or pottery,'' Griffin said. "My son spotted something shaped like a circle. I bent over and picked it up and saw it had 'Masters medal' written on it.

"When I took a better look, it had Gene Sarazen's name on it, and then the date 1950 underneath his name.''

What the Griffins found was a medallion that was given as a keepsake to players, tournament committee members and officials, and selected sports writers. A total of 165 medallions were presented that year, Augusta National Golf Club officials said.

The front of the medallion shows the Augusta National clubhouse, with "Masters Tournament" written over it. Sarazen's name and the date are engraved. On the back, 18 numbered flags are on the perimeter with a wreath surrounding an outline of the United States.

A flag is anchored at Augusta's location and the words "Augusta National Golf Club'' are on the back.

Two factors make the item, which measures 3 inches in diameter, somewhat rare and unusual: the quantity produced, and the name of the player involved.

Sarazen, of course, was the 1935 Masters winner.

He holed a shot in the final round for double eagle on the 15th hole, enabling him to tie Craig Wood. Sarazen won the 36-hole playoff the next day for his only Masters win.

The story takes an interesting twist because Griffin's grandfather knew Sarazen, who owned a farm in the area.

"My grandfather knew Gene because they lived next to his farm,'' Griffin said. "They used to go up there and hit golf balls.''

Griffin believes the medallion wound up in the stream after a fire burned down Sarazen's barn many years ago. The rubble was bulldozed over, and some items washed downstream.

Griffin, a security consultant who performs contract work overseas, is not a golfer.

"Figures I'd find it,'' he said.

For now, he plans to have it appraised and keep it with his father's golf trinkets.

But Tucker might have other ideas if his father ever wants to put it up for sale.

"I don't think he would let me sell it now,'' Griffin said. "He's the one who found it. It's his.''

Reach John Boyette at (706) 823-3337 or john.boyette@augustachronicle.com.

The Augusta Collection

A look at fans' cherished souvenirs from decades of the Masters Tournament

Item 6: Oddities Item 5: Magazines Item 4: Badges Item 3: Art Item 2: Books Item 1: Logos