Johnny Bench Bicentennial bat

[mcgwirecom]

Hi Brian or Mike,

I just bought a nice unused bicentennial Johnny Bench bat. It is an R43 model. Did he use this model or is it an index bat? Looks to be 34 inches. Not sure of weight. It does not have the Powerized logo. Thanks, Randall

[MSpecht]

Hi Ramdall--- The only documented order of R43 bats for Bench in 1976 is one order for 12 bats on 6/18/76 with the following specifications: 35.5 inches / 34 oz / FB finish with No Finish on handle....... if the bat is indeed 34 inches in length, that would be very very very uncharacteristic of Bench's 35 inch (a few), 35.5 inch (95 % plus) , 36 inch (a few) and 37 inch ( a few) orders over his career. Note that Bench had one or two orders of 34 inch bats in 1979. Regarding his Pro Stock model R43, the referenced order above is the only documented order of R43 bats after 1968 (the final 15 years of his career.)

Also, although this question was not asked, here is a discussion for those collectors who are not familiar with 1976 Bicentennial "double branded" bats that provides a good resource on these popular and often premium-priced "what are they" bats. Sorry that somewhere down the line after posting, the photos dropped out .

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/blog/topic.php?forum=33

Mike Jackitout7@aol.com