Whoa!

My pickup for the month.

Adding a Zimmerman has been on my want list for a while, but I have never seen the Cyclone model.

last years pick up
 

This one has heavy game use, I only wish I could prove Paul Waner used it. This one is a Zinn Beck Ace of The Diamond Paul Waner Type. It’s 35-3/4 long and weighs 40+oz. It is hand turned and awesome to hold. I have a lot more, and maybe one day I will authenticate them. As y’all can see, i’m kind of hoarder.

Had this Andy Tomberlin bat for 20 years and finally figured out how to get it signed.
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Manny
 

Not too many gamers in my collection, but happy to have this manny... which I think may be corked!

Definitely corked!

Is that an Indians gamer? I was told by a former player that their clubhouse guy was doing it for tons of guys on the team. Let's not forget the Albert incident :)

Mail Day!
 

For me, one of my dream pickups!

Doesn't match his personal ordering records, but still a pro model K55 bat from the Mick!

That is a great Manny bat! I used to have one, but I sold it, and now I am regretting it!

Manny bat
 

It’s a sox Bat... interesting thing is that it has a gold x on the knob as opposed to manny’s Silver 24... perhaps to distinguish it from his others?

My second actual player used bat. Supposedly used for BP before being given to a relative of the person i got it from
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...583c9f6ce1.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4311e82cb5.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4859356d9c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...136de25f82.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e3215a75a8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6504637f0d.jpg

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Beautiful Piazza bat. Autographed to boot! Great pick up. The rawlings bats are so clean looking.

Supposedly used for BP? maybe. But it's such a great looking bat, I think I'd start to suppose that it also saw some MLB action, if it were mine.

Well. I have no proof that it did not, but that was the story i got. Who knows? Maybe it did see action the day before it broke in bp.

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Piazza was known to use Rawlings in BP and Mizuno in games during his time with the Mets.

Thanks for that. Great info.

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Game used Frank HR Baker bat 1911-1916.

Congratulations!!! You are getting closer and closer to the complete set!

new addition
 

I don't have it my hands yet, but I can say that it will soon be on its way. This pro-model Lloyd Waner bat really completes my 1927 Pirates set (NL champs, FYI). Despite the fact that almost nobody thinks old Lloyd belongs in the Hall of Fame, I'm very happy to have one of his model bats.

Oh man, that Waner is awesome.

Awesome bat. I had a shot at that one probably 10 years ago. Never did pull the trigger on it.

thanks for the congratulations, guys.

Newbie here. I came for the baseball cards, now I'm intrigued by these old turn of the century bats...great stuff

How does one go about collecting such items?

how to start?
 

Hi. Welcome to this side of the hobby. To my mind, collecting game used or pro model bats, caps, gloves, etc. takes the baseball collector much closer to the actual game.

If I were starting out, I would spend some time searching for bats on old Heritage Auctions, MEARS auctions, Robert Edward Auctions, Hunt Auctions sites.... they all have archives. This should give you a rough picture of what is/was out there and, in the case of very old bats, how often (rarely) they are available. If you have a favorite team, that can help you search. There a number of books, booklets, and a few articles that are useful if you become hooked.

Dude great Waner!

In the mid 80s, we'd go up to Cooperstown every summer. In one of my initial posts here, I discussed my dad and I meeting Larry Fritsch at his museum and actually being around his Doyle card (one on display, one he was reviewing). Now this memory is 35 years old and might have definitely morphed into something else over time. But one of those trips, we bought two wool baseball caps: one was a Washington Senators wool cap, the other was a maroon cap with a gray bill and a G embroidered on it. They sold it to us as "Homestead Grays". When we got home, my dad sort of doubted their veracity. But they were definitely cool.

Thanks for all the tips. I'll check these out over the Thanksgiving weekend.

What a fun site...

Tim,

It all worked out for you, though. You have an awesome Lloyd Waner bat on your website--along with a few other bats that I admire/covet.

If anyone hasn't visited it yet, you should check out Tim's site:

http://halloffamebats.com

Really great stuff everyone!

This is one of my best pieces...1955-58 Mickey Mantle Game Used Bat PSA/DNA. It has outstanding use, and was acquired directly from John Taube. (The Bat has professional restoration to the lower handle/knob).

Cool. Fantastic HR marks on the barrel!

Elias121,

Saw your post from August, and I'm wondering about the photo with
+40 vintage bats. What have you got there?

Thanks! Marks on both sides, great example of his switch-hitting prowess.

1977 - 1979 tom seaver
 

1977 - 1979 H&B game used Tom Seaver bat (autographed) from his Cincinnati Reds days, my favorite pitcher of all-time and a very good hitter.

Attachment 431155

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Attachment 431157

That is a great bat. Pitcher's bats can be pretty cool, and hard to come by. And a Seaver gamer -- awesome.

Soriano Bat
 

Few pics of Alfonso Soriano Bat.

Recently had it authenticated by PSA.

New to the site. I miss the GUU site.

Nice bat, welcome to this site.

Love the Sam bats, with the logo similar to the old Batrites.

Really happy to add this Bill Freehan Attachment 436980

Attachment 436981

Attachment 436982

Attachment 436983bat to my Tiger collection. In my opinion one of the most underrated players from 1965-75. Freehan was on 11 all-star teams and won 5 Gold Gloves along with winning the World Series in 68. He received exactly 2 votes for the HOF in 1982.

Wow. How do you have that kind of career, and not get at least a little more consideration for the HOF?

That is an awesome bat!

I miss it too. So much knowledge over there. A shame that it dried up like it did. I wish that more of the GUU members would've migrated this way, but seems like the game-used discussions here are few and far between.

Keep posting, and perhaps we can build a better game-used following on this site! And beautiful Soriano Bat. I always loved watching him play. He had an awesome swing, and could really launch the ball for a skinny little guy.

Agree.... Catcher is the most under-represented position in the HOF, and Freehan's legacy deserves a far better fate. Gorgeous Bat!

Mail day!
 

I think this one falls in that nebulous "could go either way category"; but I was thrilled to add this Hanna Batrite Cochrane to my collection. I have not actually seen a Cochrane one before with the bat logo.

I think that anyone who remembers him respects him, and I wouldn't think a Tiger collection would be anywhere near complete without a Freehan bat.
Nice one, too.

That's a beauty. Regarding its "category," what are some of the pro's and con's on the bat?

Thanks. From the literature I have read, the Hanna Batrite TA line was offered at the professional level, but also apparently available from the catalog for sale to the general public.
The "pros" I think are that they have been directly seen in photographs with big name players. For example, there is a photo of Ruth dated 1931 on ebay right now that clearly shows some Hanna bats directly next to him (with the model branding NOT around the ears of the bat logo, an important distinction, I think). This bat also does match post-1930 Cochrane LS orders at 34".

"Cons" are, the weight is a bit heavier than his LS orders, currently at 35.5 ounces. Also, as mentioned before, I believe they were offered in the catalog, so that is a big con.

It has a "G" carved into the knob, but I think that is, at best, circumstantial.

Cochrane pro models in general are super rare, I think, so I was delighted to grab it. However, I don't think I can say either way if Cochrane actually used it or not without some kind of additional evidence.

That all being said, I will note that the bat has significant contact on the left-barrel, to the point of obvious grain separation. But the right barrel is intact, with no separation at all. That is consistent with the PSA Pro Bat Facts page.

I only have a couple of Hanna bats, so I would imagine that some other experts here on the forum would have far more expertise than me here. I invite them to please correct me if I am wrong on any of this.

Sean I think you sum it up pretty well.

Either way that's a great looking Cochrane bat and I don't recall seeing a Cochrane Hanna before.
One other point -- I'd rather have the bat be a little bit heavy than a little bit light.

Enjoy!

Greg

Sean beautiful bat. The Batrites have always been a favorite of mine and have a few in my collection. My Gehringer bat falls into your category. Instead of a model number there is a "GF" 5 after Gehringer. I've seen one other bat with this marking and it was a Crabtree bat sold by Mears.


The second Batrite bat I have is a Goose Goslin type. Stamped on the barrel is "Goslin Type". Again this falls into your category of being used or not used by the player. Mears sold a Babe Ruth bat with the same markings and they listed it as Game used. I always thought that if it didn't have "TA" then it wasn't their top line. I also thought that if a bat has "Type" then it is considered a retail bat. If in fact the Goslin bat is a retail bat then it must of been a strong individual buying it because it weighs a ton. I've attached the link to the Babe Ruth bat on Mears.

https://www.mearsonlineauctions.com/...ntoryid=114038

I think Hannas are great looking.

Here are some of mine -- all are flying bat logos except the Cronin.
I think the Rice and Simmons are most likely to be gamers.

Greg

Great bats!
I am curious as to why you suspect they are gamers; do they have any side-writing or anything?

Here is my only other Hanna Batrite; this one probably rates at the top two of my collection.

Man that is some great lumber. As far as dating these bats, are the Georgia Drivers late 20s to 1930 and Beaver Driver 1930s?

Wow that Ruth bat is incredible.

I'm thinking that if any of my Hannas have a shot of being a gamer, it would be the Rice and Simmons (wasn't trying to say they actually are gamers).

Both don't have the patent stamp on the knob, the Simmons matches some of his specs and the Rice has the unusual "plain" barrel labeling. The Rice also has a very high wood quality and is similar to my H&B Sam Rice game bat.

The best thing -- they sure are a lot cheaper than definitive H&B game bats!

Greg

Love the Hanna bats. Here is another one:

Oh, that is a really cool one!

I think (and I would have to check) that my Ruth has a 1930 patent stamp on the knob, and I think I saw a Ruth Beaver Driver once with the same stamp. The photo of Ruth with the Hanna bat was from 1931, so I think your dating idea is correct.

Oh, I see what you are saying. But, to me, that would make sense.

You are correct! I am way out of the running for a LS Ruth game model, so these are basically the top of my collection for what I can afford. And, as most of you know, I already get in enough trouble from the home accounting office. :D
I did see a Batrite Gehrig sell last night in Mears; I thought it might have gone for a little more than it did. I am kind of wishing I had taken a shot at it now...

Picked this one up today at a LCS. Pretty excited to add another 68 Tiger to the collection. I think the bat is from 1973-75.
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new bat
 

Here's a new one. It's an H & Son Co. Tom Long / (Bobby) Byrne bat from circa 1915. The "Byrne" stamped on the knob is similar to the lettering on a Frank Snyder bat from that era. I'm going to consider this a Bobby Byrne bat and feel pretty good about adding it to my Pirates collection. Thanks to Dave P for setting me up with this old bat.

Gates Brown 1968 Tigers.
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LOVE the Swingin' Gates!

I detect a theme, here.

I could not pass this one over. It is one of the final pieces to my Yankee collection!

Not much (any?) use, but for the price, it is the one I could afford!
Lots of rack marks, and someone wrote the weight on the knob.

That Long/Byrne bat is awesome!

So is the Brown bat!

Great Byrne bat!

center brand question
 

Does anyone have a full sized H&B bat with the same center brand? The "Made in USA" doesn't seem to appear under the H&B brand in the same way that it appears in the photos in the Vince Malta book. The M lines up exactly under the R in Hillerich, while the A is between the A & D of Bradsby. Am I missing something? Any info and (or) opinions are appreciated.

Ripken
 

Picked up a 1989 Bill Ripken gamer from a former major leaguer estate auction. This bat is pounded with use. I am sure most of you are familiar with the "error" card of his from 1989. If not--makes for an interesting read....The bat used for that card was a L.S. BUT... the knob end on this bat let's me know there was a "brother". :)

Nice grab! That was from the MB Auctions last month right? Who was the former MLBer? I picked up a Mike Greenwell bat from that auction but didn’t know it was an MLB estate...

Meanwhile I’ll add a photo sometime soon of a project I’m working on... but for now here’s a recent grab. My first (and probably only) David Ortiz bat. Used at the tail end of a rough 2009 season, arguably his worst as a Red Sox.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...21ec8d7592.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6dcf5bec26.jpg


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Ripken
 

The estate was from a former Whiz Kid....Russ Meyer. (Mad Monk)

That is a very interesting bat. I could swear I had one like it, but now that I am looking for it, naturally I cannot find it. I will keep looking around...

I love finding variant bats!

Thanks for looking! It would be instructive to know that bats like this are not as common as dirt. I hope you will keep an eye open for similar bats, and that others will, too. AND I would be extra grateful if others would post photos of other old bats that don't seem to fit the mould.

Here's as close as I found. Appears that the font of the 125 and other markings is identical. This one I had originally dated as 1921-22, as that coincided with Fonseca's first two years in MLB with the Cincinnati Reds. Could have been a bit earlier though, I suppose. Would depend on when he signed his contract with H&B. (I owned this Fonseca in 2011)

If it stands that mine is a 1921-22 and we know there are bats from 1922 with "Made In USA" in the center label after it replaced the -.- below, then I would make the logical conclusion that your bat is likely a 1922 transition bat.

Attachment 454775
Attachment 454774

Tim, you've got a very keen eye for fonts, among other things. What you say makes sense. Thanks!

I've got at least 1 bat from around 1920 with a similar font. You've opened up a new line of research for me. I notice that the brand in my bat seems to wrap around the bat, maybe because the barrel is relatively thin. (35 in. 33 oz.). Maybe they quickly stopped using this label because it doesn't really fit the more tapered bats of the early 20's?

Rafael and Glen Hubbard made quite a DP combo in Atlanta. I have two of each:


1986-89 R243 LS

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0671b6e5_c.jpg1986-89_Louisville_Slugger_C243_Rafael_Ramirez_Topps_Ti ffany by Greg Martin, on Flickr


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d7c53348_c.jpg1980-83_P72_Hubbard by Greg Martin, on Flickr


1982 Shea Stadium

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bd4d49dc_b.jpg1980-83_Louisville_Slugger_P72_Glenn_Hubbard_D by Greg Martin, on Flickr

23AUG17 (check out the guns)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...04c575a0_c.jpgHubbard 23AUG17 by Greg Martin, on Flickrhttps://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...52a58791_c.jpgHubbard 23AUG17 (2) by Greg Martin, on Flickr


.

Gator
 

Added a circa 1985 mike greenwell minor league gamer to the collection... mike wore #11 with the pawsox.

I picked up this Vladimir Guerrero bat recently and could not be happier. I've always wanted one of his bats, and adding that it's and Expos bat makes it even better for me. He was one of my favorite players to watch growing up and even though he went into the hall as an Angel, I will always picture him as an Expo when he is discussed.

https://i.imgur.com/ZIDv1Jnh.jpg

Great bat!

Ernie Krueger
 

Ernie Krueger (anybody with any additional information or correction, please let me know)


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...913bba6c_z.jpg1921-31 LS Ernie Krueger by Greg Martin, on Flickr

Wow! Great bat!

Greg,
The Krueger bat is terrific. The photo spreads on your bats are almost as spectacular as your bats. Do you recommend any videos/ reading on how to photograph memorabilia and how to arrange the photos?
Mark L

Thank you, Mark, for the compliment! I've only put together a checklist for photographing with a black light, which I'll paste here when I find it. It's a great start this type stuff. I'll put together a bullet point checklist for the rest of the spread.

Thanks again, sir

Photography using a black light
 

Photography using a black light

This is how to do it:

Find a room that is very dark(when the light is off). I use my garage during the daytime.

1. Use a tripod
2. Set the camera to manual mode
3. Set to auto focus and allow it to focus on the cards
4. Once focused, switch to manual focus so it will not be confused by the black light (closer to camera) and the cards
5. Lower the F-Stop to one setting above bulb
6. Set the camera to 2 sec delay (pushing the shutter release can move the camera at this low shutter speed).
7. Turn the overhead light off; turn the black light on (I hold the black light with my hand and intentionally include it in the photos). The focus is still on the cards because auto focus was turned off.
8. Lower the shutter speed until the meter is centered.
9. Gently press the shutter release and let go. The two second count down will begin and you will have your photo.

If any of this doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll explain further.

I have a good friend named Lou Fonseca. I’d love to gift him a Fonseca bat.