BMH or Mike Specht: Mc44 bats

[earlywynnfan]

Hi guys, hoping you can help me. Those 1970's bats with "Mc44" in place of the player's name, were those actually shipped to Willie McCovey? I've seen them sold before as his GU bats; did they ever reach his hands, or were they some sort of promo model?

Thanks, Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

[BMH]

I don't have an answer for that one, hopefully Mike can fill in the blanks.

[momen55]

that is a model that was made up by an employee, so i read but don't remember where.

[MSpecht]

First, note that contrary to many collectors' belief, H & B model Mc44 had nothing to do with Willie McCovey. The initial specifications for this model, per Dave Bushing's early rresearch, came from H & B employee Jack McGrath in 1963.

While McCovey was a prolific user of many different model bats throughout his career, there are only two documented orders of model Mc44 bats recorded for him --- a total of six bats in 1966. It is clearly not a model that he favored during his career.

As far as barrel stampings, on H & B bats you will see either McCOVEY or WILLIE McCOVEY in block letters, as he never signed an endorsement contract with the company. A small order of W215 model bats is referenced during the early 1970's with BIG MAC on the barrel, again in block letters.

Back to your original question regarding H & B bats with Mc44 on the barrel label, there is nothing documented in McCovey's records that would confirm such orders for McCovey, and there have been no recorded authentications to my knowledge of such a bat. It is likely that the manufacturing date of a bat like that would be later than the 1970's, and that the Mc44 on the barrel is representative of a team-ordered model Mc44 Pro Stock bat.

Mike jackitout7@aol.com

[PwKw13]

I had a Mc44 model bat as a kid that I bought in a sporting goods store.