Mantle minor league bat?

[rk723]

Does anyone have any information about what type of bat Mickey Mantle used in the minors especially when playing in Joplin, MO in 1950? I have a SAV-A-BAT 130-4 made by Mueller Perry Co., Inc., Saint Louis. On the barrel it says Professional Mickey Mantle with a very early style Mantle signature. The number 4 is imprinted on the knob with an S or a 5 written on it. The bat has a cork type grip. It weighs 35.2 ounces after almost 60 years of aging and is almost 34 inches long. Could this be a Mantle minor league gamer? Is there any record of him having a bat contract with Mueller Perry? Are there any minor league pictures of him with this type of bat? Any information or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Ron

[momen55]

all i can tell you is that it is a retail bat. retail bats were and are stamped with a number that corresponds with it's length; 4-34, 5-35, etc.
maybe someone else can chime in and give you more info.

[scottanservitz]

Ron,
How about some pics? I'd love to see it. Sounds pretty cool.
Scott

[MSpecht]

Hi Ron--

We do not have any specific information on Mueller Perry Company, or Mantle's association with the company, but for comparison purposes, here is some information on the specifications of Mantle's early bat orders with H & B prior to his Major League debut on 4/17/1951.

Mantle's first documented order with H & B is dated 6/27/1949 -- model K55 35 inch / 34 oz (1 bat) and 35 inch / 35 oz (1 bat). On 8/25/49 a second order of 1 bat (K55 35 inch / 34 oz) was shipped to Mantle. Following his signing with the Yankees following high school graduation in 1949, he played with the Yankees Class D farm team in Independence, Mo. and the Joplin Miners in Joplin, Mo.

Thereafter, Mantle signed an endorsement contract with H & B and on 9/28/1950 was shipped his first signature bats, two K55 35 inch / 34 oz bats. Interestingly enough, although K55 was designated as Mantle's pro stock / marketing model, that model appears relatively infrequently in his personal H & B records over the course of his career, accounting for only 56 of approximately 759 bats documented in his H & B orders.

Good Luck.

Mike Jackitout7@aol.com

[rk723]

Thanks for your input Mike. Ordinarily I would write this bat off as a store bat but since it's specs are close to Mantle's early H&B specs and the bat company was in St. Louis while Mantle played for Joplin and was a local phenom in 1950, I thought that it just might be a gamer. I'll continue to try to track down Mueller Perry's record. Thanks again.