A mouldy-looking golf ball with links to James Bond could sell for up to £4,000 in Kent this weekend.

The ‘feathery’ ball, which is thought to date back to the mid-1800s, belonged to former Royal St George’ club professional Cyril Whiting, who was a regular golfing partner of author Ian Fleming.

The 007 creator is said to have immortalised both Cyril and his father Albert as the characters of Cecil and Alfred Blacking, who were caddies in Bond’s famous match against Goldfinger at Royal ‘St Mark’s’.

The precious ball, which is owned by descendents of Mr Whiting, is due to be sold by Canterbury Auction Galleries on Sunday and is expected to attract keen bidding from collectors.

Auction house boss Dave Parker says the ball is a “rare survivor” of an early era of the modern game.

“To find one in this condition is even more remarkable,” he said.

“We are expecting a lot of interest from across the world because there is huge interest in golfing collectables and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes above the top end of the guide price.

“But it would also be nice to see it go to a local bidder and stay in the county.”

Although much debated, the ’modern’ game of golf is generally accepted to have been founded in Scotland, and particularly St Andrews, in the mid-16th century.

The ball being auctioned was made by Tom Morris, from Scotland, who was considered the godfather of golf for his innovations in the sport.

He was responsible for the design of Prestwick Golf Course and the new course at St Andrews, before winning three out of the first five Open Championships.

The ‘feathery’ golf ball is considered the first real golf ball and is basically a small leather sack filled with boiled goose feathers, then stitched up and painted.

They were expensive to make and easily damaged, so only the privileged few could afford to use them.

On the same day as the golf ball sale, Canterbury Auction Galleries will controversially be selling a collection of Nazi memorabilia, as reported by KentOnline last week.

Some members of the Jewish community say the items should not go under the hammer and have called for them to be removed.

But auction boss Dave Parker defended the business, arguing that history should not be “expunged”, adding that similar items are being sold widely by other leading auction houses and at auction fairs both here and abroad.

“There is a lot of this sort of material in collections and museums – and we will continue to sell it as long as the law allows us,” he said.

“Hugo Boss designed the Nazi uniforms but I don’t see a clamour to close their shops down.

“There are lots of things in history which we don’t like but should never forget.”