Oldest Ted Williams Game Used Bat?

[jerseygary]

Does anyone know what the oldest Ted Williams game used bat is?

I'm trying to find out what type of bat he used in his San Diego years in 1936-37. I'm pretty sure he did not have his own name stamped bats at that time, so I'm wondering if he used another player's model bat.

I studied several pictures from 1936-37 but cannot make out what kind of bat he is using.

Earliest I've found so far is a "rookie era" H&B signature model.

Hopefully someone has an answer...

[bat_master]

According to the Vince Malta guide, Williams signed his signature endorsement contract with H&B in 1937. In his ordering records only one order appears in 1937 and it was for a Rogers Hornsby model 35", 34 oz. He only ordered 4 bats that year. That number increased to 40 the following year. There are no recorded orders for 1936.

Since Hornsby used a lot of knobless or near knobless bats, pretty safe to assume that Williams' bats from 1937 would likely have very slim knobs.

[jerseygary]

Thanks for the reply!

Can I ask one more question? Are the 1937 order dates during the season or after the season? I don't want to depict Ted with the Padres in 1937 if his bats were actually for the 1938 season when he was with Minneapolis.

Thanks again for helping me out.

[mrreality68]

wow TIM

you really are a Bat Master

Great info and amazing you had it

[bat_master]

Unfortunately I don't have that information. Might be worth sending a message to John Taube (https://gameusedbats.com/elements/contact-form/), though it may be a bit until you get a reply as I'm sure he is preparing to head to the NSCC.

[jerseygary]

Thanks Tim. Again, I really appreciate the help on this.

[jerseygary]

According to the Louisville Slugger Museum, Ted Williams signed his signature bat contract on April 21, 1937. That means he was using them during his last season with the San Diego Padres.

Thanks to everyone who helped out, I really appreciate it!