Jimmie Foxx Hanna Batrite Baseball Bat Circ 1930

[mjkm90]

Great bat! The flying bat logo is always highly saut after. I had an bat identical to yours. It's pro model, but would near impossible to call a gamer. I sold mine for $1,500 about ten years ago to a dealer.

[MGHPro]

The bat is 34"... not a size foxx used. Bat is standard tempered ash, knob is not hand turned as it has the patent date. Many are sold as pro model, but it doesn't mean it was ever near foxx. Its a nice bat. A better condition one sold on ebay for 1,500 last night and it was closer to Foxx's specs.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by MGHPro

The bat is 34"... not a size foxx used. Bat is standard tempered ash, knob is not hand turned as it has the patent date. Many are sold as pro model, but it doesn't mean it was ever near foxx. Its a nice bat. A better condition one sold on ebay for 1,500 last night and it was closer to Foxx's specs.

You are right that Foxx almost always ordered 35"+ bats, and while this reduces the likelihood that it's a Foxx GU bat, it does not absolutely eliminate it, does it? He did order a couple of bats from H&B at the 34" length during his long career, so it would seem unlikely but possible that he ordered one from Hanna, no? But here is something else that I'd like to learn about: does the stamping on the knob absolutely preclude it from being a pro model bat? Dave Bushing's comments suggest that some pro models Batrite bats might have that stamping on the knob--maybe he was wrong 10 years ago. What do you make of the rasp marks that seem to run across the stamping on the knob? If they are beneath the stamping, would that not suggest that the bat is hand turned and therefore not a store model bat? Or did Hanna hand turn some retail bats?

[kencou]

Mark,

You asked the same questions I wanted to ask. I assumed it was hand turned because of the rasp marks on the end of the handle. And I did read somewhere that foxx used 34 - 36 size bats.

[MGHPro]

Can you eliminate foxx using this bat completely - no .. Do I honestly believe there's a chance he used it - no .. Would mears grade it as a pro model - yup ..

All bats have a nub that has to be removed when it comes off a lathe , so there will always be some sort of mark . I see what you are referring to and it doesn't strike me as hand rasping to get the bat to a certain weight .. Speaking of which , what is the weight ?

Foxx ordered 34" bats twice - once in 1939 and once in 25 so he did order them but very rarely .

In regards to the knob stamping - no it doesn't eliminate the bat from being a pro model. There's still a ton to learn about Hannas. The Gehrig that LOTG sold just proves that.

In my opinion - and only my opinion - foxx never used it . It's a great bat and a great addition to any collection .

Originally Posted by Mark

You are right that Foxx almost always ordered 35"+ bats, and while this reduces the likelihood that it's a Foxx GU bat, it does not absolutely eliminate it, does it? He did order a couple of bats from H&B at the 34" length during his long career, so it would seem unlikely but possible that he ordered one from Hanna, no? But here is something else that I'd like to learn about: does the stamping on the knob absolutely preclude it from being a pro model bat? Dave Bushing's comments suggest that some pro models Batrite bats might have that stamping on the knob--maybe he was wrong 10 years ago. What do you make of the rasp marks that seem to run across the stamping on the knob? If they are beneath the stamping, would that not suggest that the bat is hand turned and therefore not a store model bat? Or did Hanna hand turn some retail bats?

[kencou]

Thanks for all the information.

The bat weighs 34.1 oz.

Ken

[Leon]

This was an informative thread indeed .

[Dave Grob]

I am a contrarian with respect to these Hanna TA bats as being gamers. This is in part to a looking at the legal case brought by H&B against Hanna as well as bats at the HOF that came from player estates (Gehrig, winged bat center brand) that featured his name GEHRIG stamped on the barrel. Ordering records from Hanna from 1936 indicate that the bats made for the players themselves as part of personal orders would have born their actual names stamped in block letters. These records can be found in Hanna Bat file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, NY.

This would have been allowed by the proceedings of the court case since these stampings where for personal identification on the part of the player, and NOT tied to and other commercial effort. I believe that these “TA” bats are the Hanna equivalent of pro model bats that could have been ordered by major league clubs as “Pro Stock” for use by any player. This would be consistent with the court judgment, explain why they can be seen in period photos, and would be consistent with the branding instructions (post H&B case).

Dave Grob