July Pickups

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by jpop43

Been really trying to focus solely on items from the 19th century...really pretty tough, but these are the results of the past couple of months.

Here are the bats...

1. Cicra 1860's/ 1870's, 36" bat turned from some gorgeous tiger maple wood...definitely not a re-purposed farm tool and one of the prettiest bats from this era that I've ever seen let alone owned. PA antique show pick up from a couple of weeks ago.

That first bat is amazing. I've never seen a baseball bat made of curly maple - it's beautiful, but definitely hand-made, simply because it's not made from a much stronger straight-grain wood. You see curly-maple pool cue forearms now, but the old-school cue makers would only use straight-grain, certain that it was stronger and gave a better hit. I believe most curly-maple forearms are cored with a stronger wood. Wonder if that bat is cored?

[nolemmings]

Agree on the maple bat. That is one beautiful piece of wood, and is a standout, eye-catching piece even if it had been made today. Its age and history make it even more phenomenal. Terrific acquisition.