Ty Cobb/Bushing/SCDA/Game-Used Decal Bat

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Posted By: Paul

I have no knowledge of game used bats, so I take no position on this debate. However, I thought I'd pass along this email from American Memorabilia. The original email included a photo that is supposed to show Cobb using a decal bat. The photo won't reproduce in this thread. To me, the photo is inconclusive, but perhaps if seen in person it would clearly show Cobb using a decal bat. Anyhow, here's the email:

Last Day of Auction! Happy Holidays! The earth is no longer flat and yes, they did use decal bats. Never in the almost twenty years in this business have so many pundits written or called on a bat in which we did a letter. Players never used decal bats is the most often heard comment. Of course, this is not based on any actual fact or research, only on preconceived notions from the past. Well, this is simply not true. We have seen photographic evidence of Cobb at the plate in an action shot, not posed, holding a decal bat. In addition, David Hunt saw one in the Louisville archives while searching for the recent auction. The photo we had was actually the glass negative and it sold in a huge collection of plates in the Mastronet auction in 2002. To date, only two such Cobb decal bats have emerged that we deemed to be “professional” models along with one Honus Wagner. Both of these players were the earliest two endorsees for Louisville and there was no standard way of issuing game bats to players i.e. name on barrel, etc at that time. They predated the introduction of a store catalog model numbers i.e. 40 T.C. or even the 125 models. They were hand turned with lathe marks on both ends, were made to spec ( or noted otherwise if not). They also pre date any shipping records. They were all in the odd half-inch length, not the even measured variety offered by Louisville in the early catalogs. These are simple facts, not conjecture nor wishful thinking. With the proliferation of hundreds of decal store models with the 40-model number stamped on them, where are all the hand turned pre model number examples? As for the term “game used”, it is a generic term used to describe pro model bats that show use. The overall grade of the bat then helps the potential buyer determine to what length he must take that “ leap of faith” as to whether a bat made in the style and manner ordered by a player was actually used by that particular player. The only way to determine that a bat made to a player’s specs was actually ever used by that player are as follows; 1. Solid provenance from a player, staff, or family (The same criteria used by the Hall of Fame). 2. A proliference of player characteristics unique to that player such as the distinct diamond pattern tape job on a Duke Snider gamer. 3. Side writing as returned to the factory for duplication. Just because you own a Roy Campanella game bat that matches all factory records and shows use, in all actuality, it could have been used by a team mate or another player unless it exhibits one of the above listed traits. We were even challenged as to whether it was prudent to use the term “ Game Used” when listing a game bat with use. This term has been a common policy for years and used in just about every auction and ad selling game used bats. The term was used to describe a professional model bat made to a players specs showing game use. It’s just a matter of semantics but if the term seems misleading, then maybe it needs changing. It has always seemed to us that the term simply meant a game used bat attributed to the player for whom it was made and that the higher A9 and A10 grades were the closest one could get as to absolute certainty that the bat was actually used by that player and that in most cases, anything less would constitute at least some sort of leap of faith albeit with access to factory records after 1930, the leap is not all that great in most cases. One newspaper columnist from New York stated that he would not own any game used piece of equipment short of a photo match showing that piece actually in the player’s hands. Given his strict criteria, he would never own anything and the Hall of Fame would have to close its doors since most of their items come from the families and lack photographs of the players holding or wearing such items. It is easy to see why he is not a collector as he has no actual idea of what it entails and his only interest in this hobby is digging up controversy using only the information supplied to him that helps his end results. And while we are on the subject of some recent findings, let’s delve into the subject of team ordered and index bats. John Taube and I have been deciphering this information for the last six months and have made several conclusions using fact based research and common sense. For years, we saw Ted Williams model O1 mid 50’s gamers coming directly from players yet personal factory records indicated only one such bat shipped to Ted in 1955 yet at least a dozen examples had surfaced Then there were the Jimmie Foxx model F3’s , the S100 Pee Wee Ree