CAl Ripken Jr game bat

[bigtruck260]

Check out the CSI thread.....

[mr.miracle]

I will need some time to look closely at the photos from that auction. One of the problematic issues with Ripken bats among others is that he had many clear usage traits that are very well known to the general public. As a result, it is not incredibly difficult to doctor a bat to the point that it would fool all but the most educated collectors. I actually had a Ripken or a reported Ripken in my collection that was doctored so well that it had every solid use trait and matched his bats perfectly. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, John Taube examined this and found that there at one point had been a line under the 125 on the centerbrand that had been expertly filled in with wood filler and painted. This bat fooled two very knowledgable Ripken bat collectors. I am not commenting yet on this bat as I have not viewed detailed photos, but with the current prices of Ripken game bats I would be very, very wary purchasing anything that was not graded professionally or at least came with a full 100% money back guarentee if the bat did not prove to be authentic. I will comment further later today as time permits.

[ironmanfan]

While it's impossible for me to render a real opinion about this bat without seeing it in person, I can tell you that I have purchased a couple of other game used Ripken items from this seller (hat & flapless batting helmet) that have been 100% authentic (both were signed & confirmed genuine by Cal). I cannot comment on everything this guy has sold, but he does have Major League connections and my experience with him has been nothing but positive.