1800s Baseball Bat? Help Needed

[bat_master]

Just received this in the mail today. It is 44 3/4" in length and weighs just a tad over 47 oz according to my scale. Any chance it is a ball bat from the latter part of the 1800s? I'm a complete novice when it comes to early equipment.






Thanks in advance for any help given. PMs or emails to tim@hofbats.com are welcome or feel free to respond here.

[BigJJ]

Wow. I have handled a number of 19th century bats. but none remotely that long. looks like an 1870-1890 to me, rural construction. but those are usually 38 inches, 40 inches at most, thats very large and heavy, and everyone was much smaller then, leaning toward the later date, when everyone was getting big from diversified diet. But could have been an earlier bat advertisement of sorts at a rural carpenter's shop.
The knob seems a forerunner to the Ball Balanced Louisville Slugger 1900-1905 and mushrooms 1900-1910. I havent seen round knobs pre 1890. so I would lean more toward the later date. might be from western (mid-western) front then, that would also qualify as rural. where did the bat emerge from?

[bat_master]

It shipped from Willow Springs, MO.

[BigJJ]

Missouri would do it. They likely would not have been ordering/receiving from Spalding, etc. at that time (1890), so would have needed rural construction, and yet they would have been aware of the trends of the time, rounded and experimental knobs. I would say circa 1890, made in the area in which it was found. Either an advertisement piece, or an actual large bat.
As Crocodile Dundee would say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owblwAwUJR8

[bat_master]

I appreciate the info very much. Thank you.

As an aside, any thread that includes a Crocodile Dundee reference has a tendency to make my day pretty quickly. Great pair of movies!

If anyone else has any info to include I'm all ears. I'd also love to get an idea as to possible value as I am planning on offering the bat for sale.

[yanks12025]

$40???

[BigJJ]

Photo match.
It's Abe's.
The knob is off - but we'll ignore that and call it a photo match.

[BigJJ]

Not far for the bat to travel, Illinois to Missouri.

[deebro041]

The size of that bat, it could have been used as an oar to row down the Illinois River.

[WWGjohn]

Based on the straight taper of the bat, its length, its flat barrel end, and ball knob, I'd date it 1870 or earlier.

John

[BigJJ]

I am beginning to agree with John. I keep looking at it, and I think the ball knob, which is more round than other c.1870 bats I have seen, was throwing me off, and I was concentrating too much on the knob.
The wood looks older than 1890.
and given the long, but substantive, bat (not an ultra thin town ball bat dating earlier) I agree with 1870.

[bat_master]

Thanks so much for the information. I've gotten some great info both here and through private messages. I truly appreciate those of you who took the time to respond. This is the oldest baseball item I've ever owned and it isn't even close!