Albert Belle LVS

[centauri]

I picked up an Albert Belle Louisville Slugger. The player name name is in block letters, team name shown (Cleveland Indians). The bat is light colored handle, dark barrel, non-cupped. Model C243. Can the date range be determined?

This is my first post on this forum. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[MSpecht]

Welcome to The Forum.

The bat you describe can be ID'ed as follows:

1) The brandings indicate the bat is from the 1991-97 label period. Since Belle was with the White Sox in 1997, this bat with the Indians team name on the barrel idenntifies the manufacture date between 1991 to 1996.

2) H & B model C243 was ordered by Belle throughout the label period, approximately 19 separate orders totaling approximately 120 bats.

3) For those orders, C243 bats were finished in different ways, including Walker Finish which is as you described, Flame Burned, Galen, and None..

4) The following is a list of order dates for Belle's orders of C243 bats with a Walker Finish between 1991-1996

12-16-91 / 35 inches / 34 ounces / Walker finish/ 6 bats
3-23-94 / 35 / 35/ Walker / 6
4-13-94 / 35 / 35 / Walker / 5

Statistically, of the 17 bats identified as meeting your description this bat was most likely one of the 11 bats manufactured in 1994.

Hope this helps,

Mike Jackitout7@aol.com

[centauri]

Awesome - thank you for the help. I will guess 1994 is right, as I received 2 other bats from the same source and both are definitively 94. Was kinda holding out hope for a 95 date, though.

Again, I appreciate it.