Wow- wonderful collection! One of the best I’ve ever seen! I agree with what everyone said , so no need to see more .

As for a Rayburn bat , everyone should own one . Bill is as modest as they come , the bats are absolutely amazing works of art . He’s an absolute perfectionist.. and amazingly reasonable for the amount of time and effort that goes into each bat .

Great stuff everyone - glad to see some excitement on the memorabilia side
Matt

Saw this cool c.1870s cabinet on ebay and, in addition to the cool pants, belts, and awesome shoes...noticed the bats. The resolution from the ebay pics isn't quite good enough to definitively id the bats as wrapped handles vs. painted, but they sure look very similar to the styles of these bats in our collection.

Quarantining and social distancing sure does lead to WAY more photographic scouring that I would have imagined!

www.dugouttreasures.com

1867 Trophy Bat
 

This bat was awarded to the Tri-Mountain Base Ball Club of Boston for winning the 1867 New England Base Ball championship. It is pictured in the sheet music, The Base Ball Quadrille, which was dedicated to the Tri-Mountain team. The bat was also described in period newspaper reports about the tournament, as well as old books on baseball history in New England. The provenance of the item is that it was sold by the estate of the caregiver of the owner of the Tri-Mountain Base Ball Club. He gave it to her before he died, and it remained in her possession until she passed in the latter part of the 20th century, when her estate consigned it to a prominent New England auction house. The bat is multi-toned being made from a variety of historic American woods. It is housed in a custom-made period wood box. Each wood used to make the bat is identified by a silver mount affixed to the bat, along with a mount showing the scores of the games the Tri-Mountains won. The woods are identified to come from the (i) battleships Kearsarge and Alabama (two of the last wooden naval ships, deployed in the early days of the Civil War before the first use, later in the war, of steel battleships),(ii) historic Elm tree at Boston Common, (iii) tree under which Lee surrounded to Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox to formally end the Civil War, and (iv) Lincoln's cabin.

Corey, obviously a great bat. I believe that elm tree on the Commons was also the location where a number of very early games were played before other fields took over.

Hey Corey,

that bat is absolutely breathtaking. I've been enamored with it since seeing your collection in Smithsonian Baseball. When considering it's condition, historical importance, construction, and overall aesthetics... it is arguably the greatest piece of 19th century baseball memorabilia in existence.

Thank you Brent. I've always enjoyed collecting baseball items that cross over into other areas of collecting, which this bat well symbolizes.

Absolutely! thanks for including that most astounding bat in this already astounding survey of 19th century bats.

That is an amazing work of art, Corey. It's as good as it gets.
I must add that you are looking a little mysterious in your scan.

Wow, incredible bat!

Rayburn replica
 

Thanks to this thread, especially Matt’s comment that everyone should own a Rayburn bat, and John announcing he was ordering one, I am now the fortunate owner of one Bill’s bats. It is a 39 inch willow bat, wrapped in leather, with a lacquer finish. The “CBBC” stand for the Cincinnati Base Ball Club. It is such a work of art my wife is allowing me to have it in our living room.
I hope this jump starts this thread again, sorry it is not vintage, but it does fit the topic.
Thank you Bill.

Bruce, thanks for the kind words. I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of making these bats but the real pleasure is making new friends such as yourself. Thanks again and I am glad you like it.

This post is for "Jimmie" that sent me an email. I'm sorry. I erroneously deleted your message and don't know your ID. Please resend if you read this.

19th century
 

Great thread--great bats! Here is a King of the Field mini bat that I believe dates to the turn of the century. The address of Hillerich and Son listed here was used only until 1901 according to the H and B historian. Think it would be considered a salesman sample bat. Would be interested in any other opinions/comments. I have seen a full size one sell before at auction exactly like this but never a mini. Thanks.

1866 Rosewood trophy bat. 41". Images aren't the best, but you get the idea.

Gary, you are on another hot streak. I like that one better than the willow.

Thanks, Bruce. I've had this one for a few years thanks to a board member.

Gary, absolutely beautiful bat. Do you have any history associated with it?

I do, Bill. The bat originates from a member of the Cumberland Base Ball Club of Nashville TN and was awarded in 1866 per my documentation. I have a copy of an image of the team passed down through the generations of the family.

That's great Gary, as we are all painfully aware that most of the time the history of these relics is lost over time. By the way, Nashville has a very active Vintage Base Ball Society. Actually that bat might belong a little closer to home...Hint...Hint.

Absolutely gorgeous!

You'll be the second to know if it goes anywhere, Bill. The previous owner has first dibs. He's from Kentucky, also.

39" solid maple
 

This is the only one I kept from my collection. 39" and immaculate cond. Out of a house in upstate New York Do not know what the S trademark means

I believe the "S" is for Standard Bat Company, though I could be wrong.

Forgot to say.......... Gorgeous Bat!

Vibrant Green!
 

Killer bat Kevin!

Thanks guys the 1 bat I couldn't part with.

I get it, Kevin. It is a great bat.

Here are 2 bats that I bought maybe 10 years ago. I guess those are custom bats from the 19th century but I would like to have your opinion. Andy idea of their value ? I bought them $1 each so I don’t mind if they’re worthless lol They display nicely in my memorabilia room.

I can't tell from the pic; are they kind of flat on the barrel end?

Fantastic Bill! I'm impressed at your skill and quality of work.
I'm a woodturner and now I see how I'll be spending my time at my lathe.

Thanks Bruce for the kind words. I hope you enjoy making the bats as much as I do.

Revisiting this great thread...

Gary, that Tiger Maple Bat is just stunning. The shaping of the bat and its marble-like patina are nothing short of gorgeous.

Thanks, Mark.

Here's one bat I'd appreciate any feedback on. It has an interesting ribbed handle and is 34" long. I'm not sure of the weight, but it is quite heavy. 19th century or not?

Gary, you sure can come up with some unique bats. I certainly don't have a definitive answer for you but I will hazard a guess of late 1800's or very early 1900's. The rounded barrel end, taper and size of the knob would all indicate that time span. Beautiful graining and good lathe skills on the handle. Nice bat.

I thought I would resurrect this thread with a couple bats. The first is a Reach ring bat similar to the one posted by Jon P. earlier in the thread. It took me a few years to find one of these. They are tough.

This is the second bat I just picked up on ebay. 37".

Those are just gorgeous!

Awesome bats Gary! Is the second one sometimes referred to as a four corner bat? It looks really cool.

Alan

The ebay listing called it a four quarter bat.

That is very cool but looks like it would shatter on impact. Was that a bat they actually used back in the day or is it maybe more of a presentation type piece? :confused:

I would say more of a presentation bat, others with more knowledge than me may have a better answer.

I would also guess presentation bat. I say that because it looks to be complete bats cut into quarters and glued together rather than wood put together and then a bat turned from that. Extremely cool no matter what it is.

Great bat, Gary…glad you got it! The feature I appreciate most is one that is sorta uncommon, but one that really adds to appearance and appeal…that being the acorn’ish type knob. I have but one bat with this feature and am glad I do, as it matches the cover graphics of a pamphlet in my collection from 1875.

Your recent bat acquisitions have been top notch!!

Jon
www.dugouttreasures.com

A recent pick up from Hunt. Any other acquisitions out there?

Turn of the Century "Safe Hit" model
 

I am wondering if anyone has seen one of these early J.F. Hillerich & Son "Safe Hit bats.

The Safe Hit bat's center brand