1917-19 Babe Ruth Game Used Bat....

Description

1917-19 Babe Ruth Game Used Bat. It was an American League age dominated by Sox, from White to Red and back to White again. The Dead Ball Era offered no shortage of fireworks for its closing act, and the presented lumber figured prominently into that period of upheaval and transition, utilized by the man who would become the round, smiling face of the game in the years following this signature model Hillerich & Bradsby's tour of duty. Solely a pitcher for the first season of this bat's labeling period, Ruth would earn a secondary outfield role for 1918 due to his undeniable offensive skills, appearing in ninety-five games that Championship campaign and 130 for his final year at Fenway.

The heavy game wear evident on the age-burnished barrel of this thirty-five inch relic suggests use in the later portion of that three-season range, either the 1918 or 1919 terms which represent the first two of a dozen in which Ruth led the American League in home run blasts. The positioning of the use on the left side of the barrel brand perfectly matches other known Ruth exemplars, and is correct for his well established "label down" left-handed batting style. Grain swelling and scattered spike marks bear further witness to the punishment unleashed by the young Babe.

The thirty-eight ounces of white ash still hold the faintest traces of illegible period factory side writing, indicating that the bat had been returned to the Hillerich & Bradsby factory for duplication, likely the reason for its survival to this date. Clearly it was shipped after a handle crack ended its useful service, though a removed nail suggests Ruth attempted to repair the bat before admitting defeat. The remnants of the original shipping label is also apparent upon close inspection. A rock-solid example of an early Ruth gamer which will gain admittance for one serious hobbyist into an elite brotherhood of Red Sox-era Ruth bat owners. Graded A6.5. LOA from MEARS.

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