October Legends Closing November 1
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/2/2014
With his timeless nickname originating from the size of his nose, Leon Goslin was one of the AL's unsung sluggers during the 1920's and 30's. Though today he is one of Cooperstown's least-known members, Goose's contemporaries respected the power his bat held and at least one teammate seems to have liked his choice in bats as well. During Goslin's time, when a player found that piece of lumber that worked perfectly for them, the bat, when worn out, was carefully packed and shipped back to the manufacturer where the spec's were carefully noted and matched so duplicates could be made. Once received at the manufacturer, the bat was diligently marked with the return date and player's name and stored in the archives. While many of these "side written" bats can be found originating from the Louisville Slugger archives, it is rare that one from an alternate manufacturer comes to market. This Goose Goslin model bat was manufactured by the Hanna Bat Company before July 15, 1930 as can be confirmed by the lack of a patent date that was added to their bats after that date. From the side writing we can tell that the bat was not sent back to the Hanna factory by Hall of Famer Goslin but by a player named "Thomas" who obviously liked the feel of Goose's endorsed model bat. While we do not know who "Thomas" was, a check of Goslin's teammates in 1930 shows that pitcher Myles Thomas played with Goslin in Washington that year.
The Hanna Goose Goslin model 17 bat shows heavy use and has a cracked handle. Many ball marks with stitch impressions can be seen on the barrel and the residue from five tape rings can be seen on the handle where they were removed. The bat's weight "40" is stamped into the knob end. An area on the left barrel was been planed, upon which is written: "Thomas" and "8-29-30" or perhaps "8-29-35". Other writing can be seen but has not remained legible. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA (1B07749).