Opinions - Early Baseball Bat?

[vintagesportscollector]

Thanks for the feedback all. Regarding it possibly being a riot/billy club - it's possible. However, the length, weight, and handle design seem less than ideal for typical clubs I have seen. I haven't seen a club designed like this, but I haven't necessarily searched extensively, so who knows - but it does seem to be more aligned with a baseball bat.

[JollyElm]

I forget the proper term for it, but are there any ball marks visible, suggesting it struck baseballs?

[vintagesportscollector]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

I forget the proper term for it, but are there any ball marks visible, suggesting it struck baseballs?

Hi Darren, good question. The marks and wear and tear are very similar to that of other bats I have from the period, but I don’t think the marks are definitive of use, either way. Bats from the period, especially ones that were recreational, and not professional/organized ball, received a lot of use and abuse and were stored away casually. I don’t think you can discern ball marks from a bat from that period quite the way you can when authenticating a more recent game used bat.

Here is an interesting blog documenting the history of clubs, with pictures of 100+ examples. I don’t see any example that is similar to this item I have picked up. Either way, it’s a rather interesting site about the use of ‘clubs’.

http://baltimorecitypolicedept.org/c...spantoons.html