Mickey Mantle Bat
 

Alright gentleman i need some help. I've had this bat for a while now. Found it up in my parents attic. Its not in terrible shape but there is some separation on the barrel. Can someone please help me out and let me know what exactly i have here and what it might be worth? Not looking to sell it but want to know if this is something i should be preserving better than it has been.

How long is the bat? Could be a gamer.

Pretty sure it's a store model bat, probably from the late 1960s. The weathering on the bat certainly looks like some of my old bats from the same period. That came from leaving them outside in the rain and sun, not to mention the tons of use (we used to play outside unsupervised for hours at a time back then ;) )

M110 could be a pro model bat. It would be pre 1965 when the Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. was removed from below the label.

Looks like a pro model to me.

Those are pro model markings, with burned in instead of stampings. It dates from 1960-64.

Length and weight would be really helpful.

Ken

ok ill measure it all out. whats the best way to weigh it? please dont respond with on a scale. :rolleyes:

also i dont know if this makes any difference but it does not look like the bat was ever actually used to hit a baseball. with my eyes i dont see any significant dents in it.
what are we talking about in value as a gamer compared to a store issued bat???

It's 100% a pro model. It will depend in length and weight. If you don't own a scale go to the post office. It could be a index bat so it would be worth about 800-1,000. If it's a gamer could be a $10,000+

It isn't a store bat. If the measurements match Mick's order records, it is possible that he could have used it. Otherwise, it is basically a pro stock bat, meaning that another player in pro ball, majors or minors, used it. Either way, it was made by LS for pro use.

ok so im at work def not getting anything done because you guys have me all worked up now. so are we all thinking that this is something that should be A)certified somehow (if so how) and B) locked up and preserved very safely and not used as a means for defense if someone were to break into my house.

Just curious what were The Micks bat dimensions? i promise i will measure and weigh and tell you all the truth.

In this condition, I'd say a gamer is worth about 100x a store model.

OK don't have the weight yet but to update the bat is 35"

You probably have a mickey mantle game used bat. He ordered 35 during that time period.

Maybe I'm wrong but you guys don't sound as pumped about this as I feel right now. I mean are theae bats a dime a dozen or something and you guysbdont want to break my heart? Hahaha. How do I go about authenticating this.

It's going to be a pro model - great score . Value will be in the thousands . If you are keeping it , dont get it authenticated . Might consider light restoration to preserve it
Matt

Thanks Matt. When you say light restoration what exactly do you mean. Now I'm scared to touch this thing.

You don't need to be scared to touch it. I would have the raised grain fixed and the color fixed so its natural. Nothing else.
Matt

To give you kind of an idea on an index model, I had one of his from the 50's and it sold for around $1,500 at auction.

Any idea how a Mantle gamer ended up in your parent's attic??

No clue. I asked my pops and he doesn't really know. All he said was it was probably mine when I was a kid. Only problem with that story would be that if it is from the early 60s my father would have been about 20 if it's from the 50s my pops at 10 years old wouldn't be swinging a 33 ounce bat.so no. No clue how it got there. Maybe from the previous owner of the house

If you measured correctly, I "believe" it to be from 1964. If you do plan to sell it, I would get a letter from Taube and put it in auction. If you're keeping it, I would just leave as is.

But, I will also add that just because it meets specs for that time period doesn't necessarily mean its a Mantle gamer.

i'm a land surveyor so i'm pretty confident in my measuring skills hahaha

I am pretty sure that depends on what auction it is in :)

Haha, very true

so if i were to put this in at auction which site is the best in your opinion? I'm beginning to receive a ton of inquiries about the bat.

I cannot really weigh in on that. I was simply commenting that several of the auction houses take any potential connection and run with it. So, a bat that meets his specs could automatically turn into his favorite bat or the one he likely used during the world series or some other significant occasion.

The board's sponsors are a great way to start your search for an auction house though.

That is what makes me wonder if this is an index bat vs. an actual gamer. If it has been sitting around your dad's place for the past 50 years, I would think he would have remembered if it came from Mickey. I guess the weight may or may not help in determing what it is. Good luck!

well i am starting to think that the bat was left by the previous owner who has since passed. we have lived in this house for 20 years. so the path that the bat took to get to me will probably never be known.

also to give an update i sent the pictures to John Taubes and from what he sees he says that the bat is a 1961 game issued bat. im debating driving down to philly this weekend to whatever show some of the guys are at.

How can Taube call it a 1961 when Mantle ordered that model several times during that period. If anything it would be a 1964 because that year mantle ordered a 34 oz bat. And bats lose weight over the years.

Change to Powerized on some bats for 1964. This bat has the earlier version. Mantle ordered the 35" M110 model bats in 1961 (33 oz) and 1964 (34 oz). Not sure how that is "several times during that period". That's two years. Plus this is only a one ounce difference in orders. I'm pretty sure they weren't using digital scales back then.

But the early version was still used up in till 1968 according to maltas book.

Then call John and ask him. Why raise a fuss about it on here when you could go to the source directly?

Nevermind

M110 35 inches
2 1961 orders 33 ounces
5 1964 orders 34 ounces

Jesse, how precise is your scale :)

What did it weigh exactly when you put it on a scale? Is 33 ounces what it weighs now? I wonder how much weight the bat lost...it does look weathered.

i have not found a scale to weigh it on. im thinking about taking it to the post office. i am not sure if this sort of thing is frowned upon there tho.

I used to do it and they never said anything.

Depends on the attitude of the postal clerk. You might also ask them if they have a box that it will fit in and weigh that, etc. You know, make it look like you're going to actually be shipping something rather than just using them for their scale :)

I just said 1964 because of loss of weight thru the years. It really helps to have the bat in person to determine the year, and for that matter, if it was actually used by Mantle.

So I weighed the bat at my local jeweler. 32.40 ounces. If we account t for weight loss of wood over 50 years it was probably a 33 ounce. The wood is a little on the dry side.

Let the experts weigh in but I would guess most would say it could lose more than just .6 ounces over 60 years.

Where are you located?

Connecticut

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I once went to the dentists office and said it was an emergency of sorts and that I had to see him right away.

My dentist came out to the waiting room

"Jon, are you ok, are you in pain?"

"I'm ok physically doc"

"I just have a Ruth bat that I want to x-ray, feels a little top heavy and I want to make certain it's not leaded."

Initial look of confusion. followed by explanation. followed by an x-ray.

No lead.

Everything in the office was put on hold pending resolution of whether the Ruth bat was leaded.

I think you're in great shape with the weight -- from the looks of that bat, it easily could have lost an ounce and a half.

Greg

Greg, he wants to lose a half an ounce :)

I have never heard of a leaded bat. Is that similar to a corked bat in that it was used for cheating(hitting the ball farther)?

mantle bat
 

I have a leaded bat which weighs 54 oz. It was a bat used in the 50's by the Milwaukee Braves as a "warm-up" bat used with the bat which was to be used in the game itself.

Similar to player corking in that lead is put into the bat barrel via drilling a cylindrical hole in the top of the barrel.
But I have never heard of a player wanting to artificially - increase - the weight of his bat by lead, or other means.
It has been rumored in the hobby that individuals have added nails, lead pellets, lead cylinders, etc. to bats to increase weight so that such bats might better correspond to player ordering records.
So if you have a bat of Babe Ruths and its length is what Ruth ordered, but its weight is 5-10 ounces lighter, and therefore a reviewer might call the bat a pro stock and not a more definitive Ruth gamer, someone might put more weight in the bat, to attempt to fool the evaluator.
so if a bat feels unusually top heavy, or looks like it has been drilled, or has an array of small touch ups, you may want to bring the bat to your dentist for x-ray prior to purchase :)
My dentist also zaps cavities via laser, no drilling, in under a minute, with no pain and no need for anesthetic. Its amazing.


Was typing as sicollector wrote - interesting, had never heard of a leaded warm up bat before.