Auction Name: 2026 February 28 - March 1 Winter Platinum Night Sports Catalog Auction

Lot Number: 80102

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/50083*80102

1955 Ted Williams Game Used Bat, PSA/DNA GU 10. Williams returned to the Red Sox lineup in mid-May of the 1955 season after resolving a contract delay related to his divorce, limiting him to just 98 games. Despite the shortened season, the 36-year-old put up extraordinary numbers, leading the American League with a .356 batting average and a .703 slugging percentage. His .496 on-base percentage once again reflected his elite command of the strike zone. Williams hit 28 home runs and drove in 83 runs, finishing with a 209 OPS+, the highest in the Majors. Even with reduced playing time, his offensive output remained unmatched, reinforcing his reputation as one of the most advanced hitters in baseball history, and he'd finish fourth in American League MVP balloting.

The subject Hillerich & Bradsby signature model W183 is unquestionably one of the finest weapons from Williams' arsenal to appear on the hobby's auction block, earning a perfect rating from PSA/DNA due to the monumental degree of game use apparent. We ask that you direct your attention to the remarkable concentration of impact discoloration on the barrel--ball marks, stitch impressions, ink transfers--virtually entirely confined to the six to eight inches of the prime hitting zone. The best Williams bats demonstrate this impact density, paying mute witness to his preternatural ability to square up just about anything thrown his way. Green rack streaks match Fenway colors, and cleat marks speckle the battered and slightly checked grain.

A black painted number "9" on the handle is a single-year Red Sox format that allows PSA/DNA's leading bat expert John Taube to assign the specific vintage rather than a wider range. Length is thirty-five inches (35"), weight thirty-three ounces (32.8 oz.). Light pine tar appears on the handle.

An included letter of provenance from an elderly gentleman attests that he was gifted the bat by a New York Yankees bat boy "on or around 1955-56" and then cherished it for the next six and a half decades. LOA from PSA/DNA, GU 10. Letter of provenance from recipient.

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