October Legends Closing November 1
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/2/2014
Decal bats represent the first Louisville Slugger store model bats available to the public which were endorsed by the game's biggest stars. Honus Wagner became the first H&B endorsed player, signing a contract in 1905 to endorse their bats. Eventually, H&B signed most of the game’s biggest stars to endorsement deals including Ty Cobb, Roger Bresnahan, Tris Speaker, Nap Lajoie, Eddie Collins, Home Run Baker and Joe Jackson. This 35-7/8 inch, 39.6 ounce Louisville Slugger 40JJ store model bat features Joe Jackson’s image on the barrel, a very sensitive and delicate image painted directly on the bat. The Black Betsy finish (even JJ’s store bats had this finish!), retains 70% of the original decal. Since many of these decal bats were used for actual baseball games, this is a very high grade for these 100-year-old delicate items. This un-cracked bat has many ball marks and stitch impressions on the barrel and a few cleats marks all around. Carved after the fact is the letter “K” to the left of the center brand, likely marking possession of a young boy. With all the game use attributed to this bat, this bat probably participated in quite a few ballgames, and it simply amazes us how nice condition this decal remains. Full LOA from PSA/DNA, cert number 1B08474.