J.F. Hillerich & Son Oil Tempered Bat

[John V]

I did some research on this bat a while back, trying to determine if these bats came taped from the factory. I'm still not sure. Today, I ran a magnet all over the tape to see if there were signs of nails, and there is no sign the bat is cracked.
Has anyone ever seen a factory taped bat with the tape in this location, leaving the handle exposed and going up so close to the label? The tape job is extremely neat.
Thanks!

[perezfan]

While it is pretty nifty, I have never seen one taped like that from the factory. I could be wrong, as the tape job is pretty meticulous. But going from personal experience and looking at dozens of Catalogs over the years, I just haven't seen the original tape placed in that location.

Perhaps someone will chime in, who has.

[Huysmans]

There were definitely bats that came with wrapped handles from a number of manufacturers, including Reach. The same can be said about hockey sticks during the era.
But I personally, like Mark, have never seen one taped in this particular fashion, so high up the barrel.
Maybe others can shed more light...


Brent

[John V]

Thanks for your feedback. The tape is coming off.

[John V]

The tape is off and she's all cleaned up. There was a crack after all.
I like it better with all the wood showing.

[ruth-gehrig]

Great looking bat!