Is This a Ring Bat?

[drc]

I'm no expert in this area, but one thing to remember is they didn't put rings on later 20th century bats. It was a fashion of the 1800s.

[ksfarmboy]

Originally Posted by drc

I'm no expert in this area, but one thing to remember is they didn't put rings on later 20th century bats. It was a fashion of the 1800s.

They did continue to sell these bats into the 1900's. Here is a picture from the 1906 catalog. If memory serves me they may have been offered into the teens as well by other companies.

[WWGjohn]

This appears to be a home made ring bat from the late 1880's to mid 1890's bat. Not sure if it is a zebra. The multiple rings were more common earlier.

John

[Joe Hunter]

John, Clint, DRC, Matt: Thanks so much for your input. As I said, baseball bats at not my area of expertise, but when I saw the bat sitting in a barrel at an antique store I thought it might be some form of ring bat. At a cost of $5, I wasn't taking much of a risk. In the absence of any markings, I would agree that it is probably home-made. Without question, it is the earliest piece of baseball memorabillia I have come across. Pretty cool.