Item number: X21

Year: AD 1983-2006

Material: Resin

Size: 48.6 x 46.6 x 103.7 mm

Provenance: Private Collector, USA, 2024

This is a set of golf ball package issued by Silicon Valley Bank, once a leading figure in the U.S. venture capital industry, and the renowned golf brand Wilson. The set, which dates to before the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank on March 10, AD 2023, includes a golf ball and several tees. Notably, all items bear the company’s pre-AD 2006 logo, reflecting an earlier era in its branding history.

Silicon Valley Bank, founded in AD 1983 and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, primarily served startups in the technology and biotechnology sectors based in Silicon Valley. This focus positioned the bank as the largest depository institution in the region and, at one point, ranked it as the 16th largest bank in the United States by asset size. Between AD 2019 and AD 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Federal Reserve implemented monetary stimulus measures, leading to a surge in funding and capital-raising activities for startups. This influx of capital resulted in a significant increase in Silicon Valley Bank’s deposits. To manage the higher interest payments owed to depositors due to the increased deposits, the bank allocated its assets into long-term bonds and other fixed-income instruments, aiming to generate stable returns through interest rate spreads.

However, as the Federal Reserve responded to rising domestic inflation by implementing significant interest rate hikes, the value of long-term bonds held by Silicon Valley Bank experienced substantial losses. On March 8, AD 2023, the bank announced the liquidation of $21 billion in bond assets at a loss of $1.8 billion. This disclosure raised alarms among investors and depositors, revealing vulnerabilities in the bank’s financial position. Simultaneously, Silvergate Bank, which had been involved in cryptocurrency transactions, announced a voluntary liquidation plan, exacerbating fears among startups and triggering a bank run as depositors rushed to withdraw funds from Silicon Valley Bank. Within 48 hours of the announcement, $42 billion in deposits were withdrawn, causing the bank’s cash flow to plummet to a negative $958 million. On March 10, AD 2023, Silicon Valley Bank declared bankruptcy, prompting the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to step in and take over, marking the third-largest bank failure in U.S. history.

物件編號: X21

年代: 公元 1983-2006 年

材質: 樹脂

尺寸: 48.6 x 46.6 x 103.7 mm

來源: 美國私人收藏 2024

這是一組破產於公元2023年3月10日，曾經是美國新創產業投資界的領頭羊「矽谷銀行」和知名的高爾夫球廠牌「威爾森」聯名發行的高爾夫球包。這一個組合包含一顆高爾夫球和數枚球梯，皆有印刷公元2006年以前，公司使用的舊版商標。

矽谷銀行創立於公元1983年，總部位於加州的聖克拉拉市，其客戶多為以矽谷為基地的科技和生科領域新創公司，使得矽谷銀行成為當地存款最多的銀行，資金規模一度躍居全美第十六大。在公元2019至2021年，新冠疫情肆虐促使美國聯準會發放資金救市，使得新創公司在融資和募款得以獲得大筆資金，使得矽谷銀行的存款大幅增加。由於大筆的存款代表銀行要支付更多利息給客戶，為此矽谷銀行進行資產配置購入長期債券等固定收益，期待能賺取穩定的價差。

但是聯準會面對國內日益高升的通貨膨脹，選擇大幅加息導致長期債券的效益虧損。因此在公元2023年3月8日，矽谷銀行公布以虧損18億美金的代價清倉手持的210億美金債券資產。然而消息公布後，使得投資人和存戶發現矽谷銀行存在問題，加上同一時間經手虛擬貨幣業務的銀門銀行提出清算計畫，使得新創公司陷入擠兌的恐慌想從矽谷銀行提款。消息公布的48小時內，客戶從矽谷銀行提領420億美金的存款，使得銀行的現金流下探到負9.58億美金。3月10日，矽谷銀行宣告破產後，聯邦存款保險公司（FDIC）介入接管成為全美第三大的銀行破產案例。