19th Century Bat Mfg. Question
 

Does anybody have a good read on the J.W. & Co. manufacturer that made 'STANDARD' model bats in the 19th Century? Particularly, what is the formal name of that company, where were they located, and what besides bats did they produce?

The reason I ask is because we have now seen two circa 1880's bats marked "J.W. & Co." over the past two months. The first was a 38" painted handle bat that was posted to ebay and the second, also posted to ebay, was a painted handle/painted ring bat that we actually won a few weeks back.

I don't yet have the pics to share but hope to get them up here soon in the event it helps.

Thanks to all who respond,
Jonathan
www.dugouttreasures.com

Jonathan,
Since your post, I've done a bunch of searching on the net and checked out some old newspaper ads. I haven't found a thing. Hopefully, someone can help out. Looking forward to seeing your photos.

Hey Jonathan,

Did you see the 1879 John Wilkinson catalog in the Glove Collectors Library? Do you think it is the same company? They produced bats as well as a lot of other sporting goods. Sorry for the bad pics. I'll e-mail you the PDF. It looks better blown up.

JD
www.baseballglovecollector.com