ca. 1917 Ty Cobbs bats for sale - HELLFIRE BOYS!

[ElCabron]

I have a couple of cool ca. 1917 Ty Cobb bats for sale. I will pay for priority mail shipping.

1) Hillerich & Bradsby Ty Cobb model: approximately 34" and 38.5 oz, a gorgeous bat with deep stamping and a visible YMCA logo at the centerbrand. Rich, brown coloring with little visible deadwood, heavy signs of wear including cleat marks and what appears to be ball impressions on the back barrel. $3,500

2) Hillerich & Bradsby Ty Cobb "Major League Special" decal model: approximately 32 3/4" and 35 oz., well-worn with visible abrasions at the decal, though Cobb's name is still visible. Deep stamping and clear YMCA logo, a very thin crack in the handle and many scuffs and cleat marks around the barrel. Surface abrasions have scuffed away some of the stamping at the centerbrand. $3,000



As the United States prepared to enter World War 1 at the beginning of 1917, the country became galvanized behind the American war effort. Americans enlisted in the armed forces and registered for the draft, the military growing to more than 4 million. At home, Americans began conserving, buying Liberty bonds, even turning their backyards into "victory gardens" to produce extra food.

Washington Senators' owner Clark Griffith demonstrated his patriotism through baseball, developing a plan to raise money to purchase enough athletic equipment to provide to every US military training camp overseas. His idea was a great success, with teams collecting money for the war effort through Griffith's "Bat and Ball Fund," which ultimately supplied nearly $150,000 in athletic equipment to send to troops overseas. The effort was joined by Hillerich & Bradsby, the Knights of Columbus, Spalding, and the YMCA, who provided 144,000 bats and 80,000 baseballs with the funds raised by Griffith. The Knights of Columbus (known by troops as "Caseys" because of the "KC" patch on their sleeves) in 1918 sent Field Secretaries to France - led by Hall of Famer Johnny Evers - to dispense trunks of athletic equipment known as "war chests" and organize athletic events.

While much of that equipment was ostensibly destroyed in the years after the war, the occasional bat or baseball made its way back to the United States. Such equipment - including many player-endorsed models - are well-received by the hobby, tremendous documents of the early days of the National Pastime and its role in building morale among American servicemen. The equipment - often marked with a YMCA or KC brand or stamp - is highly sought-after, and infrequently seen.

The nickname "Hell Fire Boys" was given to the 30th Engineer Regiment (Gas and Flame) in a November, 1917 report in the Baltimore Evening Star. In July of 1918 it was redesigned as the 1st Gas Regiment, and included Baseball Hall of Famers Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson and Branch Rickey.