currently mastro is auctioning off what they say is the bat that hank aaron used to hit HR #534:

http://live.mastroauctions.com/index...s&CurrentRow=1

the description reads: "Here offered is the Adirondack lumber with which Aaron launched career home run number 534 in 1969, a round-tripper that placed the Braves great just three short of longball-affluent contemporary Mickey Mantle, and the very one that tied "Hammerin' Hank" with Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx for fourth on the all-time list...But for all those significant homers, the hobby has encountered only a limited number of documented Aaron home run bats. The Cooperstown legend himself memorialized his important achievement in tying Jimmie Foxx when he penned "Hank Aaron - HR 534 - 7/15/1969" on this very heirloom. Indeed, few weapons are of greater significance to his assault on Ruth's record than the bat he used to tie Foxx at the magic number of 534—this is the bat that caught "The Beast!"

this bat previously sold in an REA auction here:
http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/.../2004/616.html

note the REA addendum which reads:
"Upon careful consideration of the supporting documentation accompanying this bat, Robert Edward Auctions does not share the opinion that the documentation supports with 100% certainty the conclusion that this bat is definitely the bat Hank Aaron used to hit homerun number 534."

it seems a little odd that aaron was somehow able to attribute this particular bat to home #534 30+ years after the fact and also that Mastro and REA share such dissimilar opinions about the bat. curious, i asked rob lifson, president of REA, if he could enlighten me as to the bat's history. rob's reply:

"My understanding is there was reason to think this bat was attributed via a story to HR 534. It was sold many years ago with a story that it was an Aaron home run bat that was given to a collector by the equipment guy (not by Aaron personally) after a game in which he hit a home run in a specific year (1969). Based on that and that alone, after research (looking up what dates Aaron hit home runs) it was determined that if the story was accurate, and the dates were accurate, it had to be home run #534. I accept that. But it all depended on the accuracy of the recollections. I reviewed the work at the time and understood the rationale, but also understood the leaps of faith involved, including that the bat may not have even been the Aaron home run bat but just a bat given at a game at which he hit #534. I even tracked down the original owner (the one who received the bat) to clarify that he did not get it right from Aaron (this was when REA auctioned it in 2004). I believed the sincerity of the story but a story is a story. It is my understanding that Aaron was paid to sign the bat. Presumably he was shown the research regarding the dating of the bat but I don't know. It would seem reasonable to assume that he was, and that he was happy to sign in this manner because of the research, which did have some merit, but Aaron did not sign that this was the bat he hit #534 with, he just referenced #534. My thought process was "how the heck would Aaron be able to identify this bat as the bat he hit #534 with 30+ years later (UNLESS he specifically remembered giving the bat as a gift via the equipment manager - I don't remember the recipient's name but he was well known and maybe that was the case - the recipient had his own museum in Ohio and Lelands bought his collection years ago - the collector got most of his items direct from players is my understanding). Anyway, I contacted Aaron for clarification - I wanted to know "was he saying this was his #534 home run bat?" and if so, "how is he identifying it?" I would think he would not be able to identify a specific bat years later. I know I couldn't. It just didn't make any sense to me. After harassing Aaron's office with letters and calls, Aaron's office finally got back to me with a definite answer: Aaron was NOT saying that this bat was or was not the bat with which he hit home run #534. Period. So REA provided all this correspondence and reasearch, tracing it all the way back to the original owner, to all bidders, and we put up an addendum. Since much of this happened during the first days of the auction, we actually had to take down a few bids per bidder's requests. Once interested bidders appreciated the background of the bat (we made all of the documents available to all interested bidders, and those that actually bid did get copies - somewhere around here we probably kept a set - I wish I could put my hands on it - it was very clear and informative), it was worth a modest premium to bidders but nowhere near what an iron-clad #534 Aaron bat would have been worth...It is fascinating to me that the current description does not reference any of the documents that accompanied the bat when it was sold, including documents that clearly stated that Aaron was not saying that he had any way to know if this was the home run #534 bat. I guess they got lost. I'll always remember this situation well as when I shared my thoughts with Troy Kinunen, he was sort of stunned, and thanked me bringing this to his attention, calling it a very valuable learning experience with reference to authentication that would be helpful in the future. I think the MEARS (then SCD Authentic) documentation had to be modified, and Troy was not only gracious, he was grateful. I could see that there would be times when we might be able to help as we reviewed items - I remember telling them that there is a big difference between authenticating an item and authenticating a story... The facts are the facts and they were shared with all bidders on the lot, and the original documents were sent to the winner."

in a way it's unbelievable that mastro is selling the bat without any of this previous information, which calls it direct question whether it is the bat used to hit #534 and greatly impacts its value and mastro's profits on it. yet, it's also not unbelievable given that it's mastro. remember this story the next time doug allen utters the tripe that brown's "game jersey" inscription means that jim brown himself is saying he wore the jersey. perhaps like aaron and this bat, brown was only referencing that this jersey resembles one of his "game jerseys". of course, that's not nearly as profitable an explanation.

rudy.