- More
1935 Josh Gibson Game Used Sidewritten Bat, PSA/DNA GU 9.. ...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
$312,000 or more
View Recent Offers on Sold Items in this category
Description
The only known Gibson gamer!
1935 Josh Gibson Game Used Sidewritten Bat, PSA/DNA GU
9.Perhaps the most significant Negro League artifact ever to appear on the hobby's auction block, this extraordinary slab of ancient hickory links the greatest slugger of that segregated enterprise with its most fascinating executive, both names emblazoned on the barrel of the battle-scarred lumber. The former is a name familiar to even the most casual of baseball historians, the illustrious Josh Gibson, author of as many as 900 career home runs, a talent perhaps even greater than the immortal Babe Ruth himself. The other name is that of Pittsburgh Crawfords team owner W.A. "Gus" Greenlee, a powerful figure in Pittsburgh's Hill District, the cultural and business center for the African-American population of Steel City who rose to prominence as a boxing promoter, a jazz club proprietor and kingpin of one of the city's most lucrative gambling enterprises.
The offered bat, the only example that has ever been definitively linked to Gibson, derives from the 1935 season, a year that saw the superstar catcher lead his Pittsburgh Crawfords to the Negro National League pennant. We find his name boldly stamped to the barrel of a Spalding 300 bat which exhibits evidence of "outstanding" game use, according to the experts at PSA/DNA. Ball marks and slight checking bear witness to Gibson's extraordinary power on the barrel, while cleat marks are apparent on the handle, cracked and repaired with five small nails.
The connection to Greenlee comes with the Hillerich & Bradsby factory sidewriting on the bat's barrel, which reads, "'39 oz W.A. Greenlee 5-8-35 Negro Natl League Pittsburgh PA." The detailed letter of examination from PSA/DNA suggests that Greenlee, as team owner, likely assumed responsibility for the ordering of bats for his team. At thirty-six inches (36") in length and weighing just short of thirty-eight ounces (37.6 oz.) today, the hefty war club is similar in dimension to those wielded by Babe Ruth in the later years of his career, appropriate for generating the thunder for which each long ball artist was renowned.
As the sole validated survivor from the arsenal of the greatest Negro Leaguer of them all, this is an artifact that ranks solidly in the top percentile of all game used bats in the hobby. LOA from PSA/DNA, GU 9.
Auction Info
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid (minimum $14) per lot.
Calculate Standard Domestic Shipping Sales Tax information
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Floor auctions
Open for bidding: (View All)Comics & Comic Art
Ends on 01/18/2021
Currency
Ends on 01/18/2021
US Coins
Ends on 01/20/2021
Fine Art
Ends on 01/20/2021
World & Ancient Coins
Ends on 01/21/2021
Currency
Ends on 01/21/2021
Currency
Ends on 01/21/2021
US Coins
Ends on 01/21/2021
Sports Collectibles
Ends on 01/21/2021
World & Ancient Coins
Ends on 01/24/2021
Currency
Ends on 01/24/2021
Decorative Art
Ends on 01/28/2021
US Coins
Ends on 01/29/2021
Fine Art
Ends on 02/03/2021
Sports Collectibles
Ends on 02/04/2021
Luxury Accessories
Ends on 02/07/2021
US Coins
Ends on 02/09/2021
Currency
Ends on 02/11/2021
US Coins
Ends on 02/15/2021
US Coins
Ends on 02/22/2021
Jewelry & Timepieces
Opens about 01/22/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 01/20/2021
Decorative Art
Opens about 01/21/2021
US Coins
Opens about 01/29/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 01/27/2021
Currency
Opens about 01/25/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 02/03/2021
Photography
Opens about 02/03/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 02/05/2021
Historical
Opens about 02/08/2021
Sports Collectibles
Opens about 02/05/2021
World & Ancient Coins
Opens about 02/01/2021
Currency
Opens about 02/01/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 02/10/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 02/11/2021
Jewelry & Timepieces
Opens about 02/19/2021
US Coins
Opens about 02/08/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 02/18/2021
Decorative Art
Opens about 02/18/2021
Western & Texas Art
Opens about 02/19/2021
Comics & Comic Art
Opens about 02/19/2021
US Coins
Opens about 02/12/2021
Decorative Art
Opens about 02/23/2021
Fine Art
Opens about 02/24/2021
Heritage membership
- Past Auction Values (prices, photos, full descriptions, etc.)
- Bid online
- Free Collector newsletter
- Want List with instant e-mail notifications
- Reduced auction commissions when you resell your
winnings
- Cash Advances
- More Bidders
- Trusted Experts
- Over 200,000 Satisfied Consignors Since 1976
Learn about consigning with us
I want to again thank you for a job well done. Your professionalism prevailed through out the process for which I am so grateful.View More Testimonials
Video tutorial
Getting the most out of search