Babe Ruth Bats 1930-35

[sammy]

Hi,

Can you post the shipping records for the length and weights of Babe Ruth bats from 1930-1935?

Thank you once again.

[sammy]

Hi again,

I see this is the only post without a reply. Can anyone help me out?

Looking for records from 1921 to 1935, but would appreciate anything someone can furnish from 1930 to 1935 if possible.

Thank you.

[JimCaravello]

Hi Sammy - my Ruth records are a little unclear in sections and I was going to let Mike tackle this one. I believe he was going to be a liitle out of pocket this week. Give him another day to two and if he doesn't repsond, I'll let you know what I have and then he can fill in the gaps later......sorry for the delay. Jim

[sammy]

Hi Jim,

Thank you for the response, previous information, and future responses to my Babe Ruth requests.

I have seen a few 34" Ruth gamers for sale, like the one that just closed in the Mastro auction for close to 73K with buyer's penalty.

http://mastronet.com/index.cfm?action=DisplayContent&ContentName=Lot%20 Information&LotIndex=55550&CurrentRow=1

Interested in knowing if any 34" bats are in his records, or if the confirmation of Ruth using 34" bats is based solely on him stating this. If that is so, do you know what book that is quoted from, or where that info can be found?

Also looking for info on Babe Ruth Hanna-Batrite game bats. I have seen a few Gehrig and others, but the Ruth one seems to be the rarest.

Thank you very much, once again.

[MSpecht]

Hi Sammy--

H & B factory records from the mid-1930s and earlier rarly mention the length of a bat...the prime concern was the weight of a bat....The typical order for Babe Ruth was a bat 35 inches or 36 inches in length, with a weight between 35 and 38 ounces, usually on the higher end.

I believe that the quote you are referring to was taken from an article on hitting that Ruth did for H & B that appeared, I believe, in one of the annual H & B Yearbooks (that may not be the correct reference.) In the article, Ruth mentions that he went from a heavy 36 inch bat early on down to a length 35 inches long and sometimes shorter.

Authenticators in the past have viewed 34 inch Babe Ruth bats as " a professional model Ruth bat of dimensions not consistant with those of Ruth's personal orders but a pro model non the less with possible use by Ruth or anther player for some purpose ..." The presence of specific Ruth game-used characteristics would increase the likely authenticity of the bat when offering an opinion as to specific game use by Ruth or another player.

The other characteristics that appear frequently in Ruth's personal records are "plenty of knots," "large knobs," and "thin handle." In 1942, three Ruth models were assigned Model Numbers :

Ruth's specifications of 5/14/27 was assigned Model Number R34;

Ruth's specifications of 8/17/33 was assigned Model Number R43 (off Chapman's w'out Jorgens 4-8-32 larger end) and specified 35" / 36 oz; and

the Old Ruth model was assigned Model Number R2.

Good Luck in future collecting.

Mike

[sammy]

Hi Mike,

Thank you for your response.

I gather from your reply, there probably were 34" bats shipped to Ruth from H&B since the main concern was weight, especially in his later years as age and life started taking a toll.

It seems in today's world, more authenticators, sellers and buyers are accepting 34" Ruth bats with the same confidence as longer models in regard to being game used by Ruth, e.g., the Ruth bat in the last Mastro auction among others that have sold in recent years.

Now there are other manufacturer's bats gaining legitimacy in regard to being game used by pros, e.g., Hanna-Batrite bats used by Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, etc., / Kren bats used by Gehrig, DiMaggio, etc., / Zinn Beck bats used by Cobb, etc. I also notice quite a few of these are 34" in length.

In regard to the Hanna-Batrite game bats, I've seen a few Gehrig, but maybe only one or two Ruth. Most of these are 34" too and date between 1931-35.

I know there is a major lack of shipping/bat records in regard to these companies from that time period, hence the ability to state these are gamers if the player's characteristics are present.

I believe this is mainly due to old photographs showing pros using these bats, and photos of dugouts from the 1920/30s showing these manufacturer's bats in the player's hand, or laying on the ground amongst the H&Bs.

The majority of non H&B game used pro bats that I have seen in auctions over the past few years are the Hanna-Batrite with bat logo. These seem more prevalent then Kren or Zinn Beck.

Any thoughts in regard to these Hanna-Batrite pro bats? Compared to H&B pro bats, these are more affordable presently. The prices have escalated tremendously in the past few years as more collectors, authenticators, seller's, etc., have become more aware of these.

I was thinking of picking up some of the big names while these are affordable.

Any thoughts on these bats?

Anyone........

Thanks to all.