Lloyd Waner Master bat

[brianborsch]

Hello all,

Just picked this bat up. I don't have it yet, but can't wait! Check it out!

6680

[brianborsch]

I was just curious if there are any comments or is there any way to verify this bat with shipping records? The date on the side is 5/11/1928? I got it from LEFTFIELD COLLECTIBLES. Thanks!

[MSpecht]

Hi Brian--

Have you received the bat yet? The photo is difficult to read -- could you transcribe all of the side-writing as it appears, and possibly provide an additional photo. Also a length measurement. There may be some records that will help based on the info above.

Mike jackitout7@aol.com

[brianborsch]

Hey Mike,

I have not recieved the bat yet, but it is on it's way. I will give you more details on the side-writing as I get it. Thanks for your help on this one!

Brian B

[MSpecht]

Hi Brian--

Any additional info on the side-writing yet ?? I have some info but would like your "transcript" of the SW first....

Mike jackitout7@aol.com

[brianborsch]

I ended up not keeping the bat. The side-writing was unreadable to me, but I returned it because of the condition of the wood. According to Leftfield Collectibles the bat read: Lloyd Waner 5-11-28 Pittsburgh Natl. BBC.

I tell you, that bat had a great balance about it. It was a great bat. The wood was just not in a condition to my liking. Bats that old just aren't for me as the wood grain can get ugly and separate.

Sorry I did not post a response. I have been busy and forgot.

Brian B

[MSpecht]

Hi Brian---

that sounds like a very nice bat. Here is the history of it just for information--

Lloyd Waner's earliest documented indexed bat was dated 4-4-28, described as His Old Model round end, and indexed at 34.5 inches in length. This bat was subsequently assigned model W42. Prior to the fashioning of Waner's 4-4-28 model, his two known documented orders were for bats modeled after Sammy Bohue's 5-1-24 with a Ruth (large) knob.

Less than a month after the manufacture of Waner's fiorst model on 4-4-28, he had another bat made to his specifications , possibly with some slight difference. In a transcription from the 1928 ledger, the date is noted as 5-1-28. This may be a mis-transcription, a typo in his notes, or the accurate date. Regardless, the entry for that date reads "Use His 4-4-28 Model Made 36-47 oz."

If the sidewriting on the bat you saw was very legible, then it is possible that the transcribed date of 5-1-28 is actually 5-11-28, confirmed by the SW on the bat. If the SW is somewhat illegible on the bat, it possibly reads 5-1-28 rather than 5-11-28.

Regardless, it seems clear that the bat is documented in Waner's
H & B factory records (1928 journal entry) and was the second 'master bat" manufactured for him, and is clearly associated with his earliest documented request to H & B. Subsequently, he requested additional models manufactured to new specifications on 5-3-29, 4-24-31, 4-11-33, and 4-12-33.

Mike Jackitout7@aol.com