1947 Hank Greenberg Game Used Bat, PSA/DNA GU 7....

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Sold on Feb 22, 2014 for:

$8,365.00 Bid Source: Live: Floor bidder

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The original "Hammerin' Hank" closes out a Hall of Fame career

1947 Hank Greenberg Game Used Bat, PSA/DNA GU 7. The 1947 season marked a rather timely changing of the guard, as the brave Jackie Robinson took his first dangerous step across the sport's color line while Hank Greenberg took his final Big League at-bats amidst persistent anti-Semitic slurs from the grandstands. The paths of the pioneering pair collided, literally, that historic season, in a May 15th contest between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fielding a slow grounder off the bat of Robinson, Greenberg crashed into the rookie legend in the first base path. The veteran slugger helped Robinson up to his feet and spoke a few words to him. Later reporters asked Robinson what Greenberg had said. "He gave me encouragement," Robinson answered.

We are proud to present an exceedingly rare weapon from Greenberg's arsenal, one of the toughest targets for bat collectors for Hall of Fame non-pitchers active after the Second World War. Though the labeling period expands the potential range of action to 1946-48, expert John Taube points to the small knob as evidence placing the signature model Hillerich & Bradsby G79S in the center of that range, despite the fact that that notation does not appear in his Professional Bat Ordering Records. He writes, "In all likelihood, the small knob was requested by Greenberg in 1947 and the 'S' notation (indicating knob size) was omitted from his PBOR."

Taube characterizes the bat's use as "heavy," noting repaired handle and back barrel cracks, multiple ball and cleat marks. Though Greenberg's batting average had fallen considerably off his standard pace in his final Major League campaign, the power was still there, as evidenced by the deep stitch impressions and the twenty-five long balls on his 1947 stat sheet. Bat measures thirty-five inches in length and thirty-five ounces in weight. LOA from PSA/DNA, GU 7.