Bill Terry Bat

[bat_master]

It's a lathe bat. Was used as a template for creation of new bats of that particular model for Bill Terry.

[Sladge34]

Tim,

Thanks for reaching out. Are these rare? I can’t find anything else like this?

[Mark]

They are not common, that's for sure. It's an interesting piece that collectors might want to have to illustrate the bat making process. On the other hand, there's no reason to believe that Terry ever touched the bat, let alone used it to hit a baseball.

[Sladge34]

Would this also be considered side written? Or just a lathe bat?

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Sladge34

Would this also be considered side written? Or just a lathe bat?

If someone sold me a bat that he said had Bill Terry side-writing, and he sent me this bat, I would want a refund. It's a lathe bat with Bill Terry's name on it. Side writing is important because it places a game used bat in the hands of the specific player. A lathe bat never left the factory, as far as I know.

[Sladge34]

Mark, thanks for the reply. Bats are not my expertise, I’m just doing a little research each day. But I found this on PSA’s website.

Side Writing
Refers to the writing, usually in grease pencil, on the barrel of a bat, written by a manufacturer employee, to document the receipt of a bat by a player, in making future player bats in the same or similar specification. When legible, the writing will indicate the player who shipped the bat back to the manufacturer, the city/and or team name, the league of the team, and the date the bat was received at the factory. Side written bats are usually found on bats of the pre
model number era.

By no means do I think this was game used. But according to psa, it has the players name, the date, New York, and ntl league all in grease pencil. There are no other markings or branding on it. I can’t find anywhere that to be side writing, it has to be game used.

Originally Posted by Mark

If someone sold me a bat that he said had Bill Terry side-writing, and he sent me this bat, I would want a refund. It's a lathe bat with Bill Terry's name on it. Side writing is important because it places a game used bat in the hands of the specific player. A lathe bat never left the factory, as far as I know.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Sladge34

Mark, thanks for the reply. Bats are not my expertise, I’m just doing a little research each day. But I found this on PSA’s website.

Side Writing
Refers to the writing, usually in grease pencil, on the barrel of a bat, written by a manufacturer employee, to document the receipt of a bat by a player, in making future player bats in the same or similar specification. When legible, the writing will indicate the player who shipped the bat back to the manufacturer, the city/and or team name, the league of the team, and the date the bat was received at the factory. Side written bats are usually found on bats of the pre
model number era.

By no means do I think this was game used. But according to psa, it has the players name, the date, New York, and ntl league all in grease pencil. There are no other markings or branding on it. I can’t find anywhere that to be side writing, it has to be game used.

The PSA statement is saying that side-writing is the grease paint writing on the side of a bat that was shipped to the factory by a player. If there's side-writing on a used bat, it's assumed that this player whose name appears used the bat. Srictly speaking, what you have is not a bat. It is a lathe bat. It was not shipped by player to the manufacturer to serve as a model for future bats. H&B would not oridinarily ship a bat out until the ends were carefully turned and smoothed. H&B made the lathe bats in their factory in order to use them to turn actual, useable bats on a lathe. That is why I would say that you (or your friend) have a lathe bat with identifying writing on it, but I, at least, would not call it a side-written bat. Of course, I know that this is merely how I understand things.