I'm on Cloud Nine Right Now!

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Posted By: Brock G.

Just got this bat today in the mail and I could not of been happier. Took a risk on ebay and it payed off. The picture the seller had made it look like an old broken fence post or something and he called it an "antique sport bat". Never mentioned it as a baseball bat. I really did not know what to expect so you can imagine how happy I was when I pulled this bat out of the box.

Am I coorect in saying mid 19th century, Massachusetts style bat? It is about 30" long and measures 2" across the barrel end. I know the pictures are huge but I wanted you guys to get a good look and make sure this is what I think it is.
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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Is the end completely square or is just one side flat? Looks like it could be an axe handle bat.

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Posted By: Brock G.

The barrell is completely squared.

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Posted By: barrysloate

It does look like a Massachusetts style bat, but I am not an expert.

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Posted By: Mark

If the barrel is flattened on both sides, it definitely looks like a town ball bat. The small size is correct, as it the knob end. The flattened barrel appears a bit more severe (angular) than the examples I have. Mine are more gradually curved...

Congrats.... this is a very cool bat (which I am sure you "stole"!)

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Posted By: Brock G.

Thanks for the input guys. This was definetely a "steal", but I really thought I was going to get an old piece of barn wood or something that just happened to look like a bat.

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Posted By: John Harrell

Brock,

Great example of a town ball bat. Yours is unusual as it appears to have beveled edges on the barrel, the first example of this I've seen. Terrific find.

John

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Posted By: Mark

Yes... the beveled edges of the barrel are really great, and are somewhat unique. This is just a magnificent example. The more I look at it, the better it gets! Thanks, Brock, for posting.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

If this bat in fact dates so early, what is it's value? I know nothing of such matters, but certainly find it interesting considering the item's apparent vintage.

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Posted By: John Harrell

Town ball bats in decent condition typically run between $200 and $500. Because of the unusual beveling on this one, I'd put it closer to the upper end of the price range, maybe even higher.

John

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Posted By: Mark

I suppose that is possible, but the bat has all the other characteristics of a Town Ball Bat. The length, knob and surface are all correct.

Also, the "aging" appears the same on the flat ends (as the rest of the bat). This would be nearly impossible to achieve, if the bat were sawed off in recent years.

Also, I pulled an example that was strikingly similar from a previous Hunt Auction (who specializes in early equipment). This very similar bat sold for $2,100 (plus a 10% commission, at the time...) I think it's an original piece.

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Posted By: Brock G.

John,
The pictures of the bat I posted hide some damage to the knob area. There is about an 1.5" long piece of wood missing from the knob. So unfortunately the pictures show the bat to be in better condition than it actually is. I understand knob damage to bats this old to be fairly common. In your opinion, how much does this affect the value?
I'll post some pics of the damaged area shortly.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Larry Haven is not allowed to post on the Net54 baseball forums...sorry if that interrupts the flow of conversation of this thread, but he has broken Net54 rules.

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Posted By: Mark

Looks like a previous post was deleted, just above my prior post. Someone named Larry was questioning the authenticity/validity of this bat (suggesting it was recently sawed-off).

This was an unwarranted comment from an uniformed individual... someone Leon apparently felt should be eradicated from this board.

Editing to say... OK - now I see Dan's post... thanks!

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Posted By: Joe K.

Here is a great example that just sold on ebay. It went for about what I would have expected. As John posted, $400 is about what nice examples of these bats run...IMO.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=360027319163&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=023

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Posted By: Brock G.

Gary Cypres was the winner on that one.
Its funny given how rare these bats are that there could be two so similiar, ending on the same day, three hours apart.

Can anyone tell me with certain confidence that the bat I have was made from an axe handle?

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Posted By: Rob L

Definitely a town-ball bat. Great find. The sharp edges on the bat are not that common. My bat is a bit more common looking.



Rob L

http://www.freewebs.com/loefflerrd/

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Posted By: John Harrell

Brock,

Depending on the severity of the damage, the knob may be easily repaired. There are a couple of expert bat repairmen available. The one I'm most familiar with is Fred Lowman, who has his own web site. Knob repair is one of the least expensive repairs he does and would certainly enhance the value of your bat. A well done knob repair is basically considered to be a non-issue with collectors.

John

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Posted By: Brock G.

John,
Here is a photo of that shows the damage on the knob. Would you suggest getting it repaired?

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Posted By: Mark

I will second that.... Fred Lowman is an absolute magician with this type of repair. And his prices are VERY reasonble. He is the best in the business, and is a very nice guy.

I sent him a broken/shattered game-used bat of Chase Utley, and it came back looking nearly perfect. I would recommend him highly.

If you Google "Bat Restoration", I believe his link will be the first one to come up. I think his business is actually called "Crack of the Bat", if that helps...

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Posted By: Brock G.

Thanks for the help guys. I will definetely shoot him an e-mail and see what he has to say.

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Posted By: John Harrell

Brock,

What he explained to me was that on a knob repair, he will level the area to be repaired, then find a piece of wood that closely matches the bat wood and shope a replacement piece to fit, glue it then refinish it. In most cases, you can hardly tell anything was done to the bat.

John

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

For whoever might be interested, I just listed one of my Town Bats (Massachusettes style) on Ebay. Seller ID is perezfan, and I'll attach a picture below...

This is a nice example with no cracks/chips, etc, and a nice round knob. A good portion of the original burgundy paint is present, and a both sides of the barrel are nice and flat.

Obtained this one from Bob McCann a few years ago, and thought I would post here, for whoever might be interested. Reserve is low... please email me directly if you'd like more info. Hope this doesn't violate any forum rules... thanks!