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Posted By: runscott

it's not quite that easy - ring bats were also popular in the early 20th century. You can find ads for them in any of the early guides - my 1911 Reach Guide has several beautiful ring bats advertised. My 1905 Spalding Guide has an ad for a bat very similar to the one in this photo, but my 1909 Spalding guide has no ring bats advertised.

A common misconception is that if a bat has a ring on it, then the photo (or actual bat) is from the 19th century. Ebay sellers make a lot of money using this to their advantage. Same goes for collared shirts - they typically sell on ebay for 200-300 because of a similar misconception that they must be from 1900 or earlier (and of course the sellers usually advertise them this way).