Johnny Bench S226 Bat...

[33bird]

Was wondering if Bench ever ordered a H&B S226 during the 77-79 period and what the spec's were. Thank you.
greg

[BoneRubbedBat]

Re: Johnny Bench S226 Bat...

The complete Bench records are now available in the "Bat Player Charts" section.

[33bird]

Re: Johnny Bench S226 Bat...

I don't have access to that, though I'm considering joining. If you join does global still authenicate one free item for joining?

[MSpecht]

Re: Johnny Bench S226 Bat...

Hi Greg--

First, answering your question, Bench ordered S226 bats in 1979 during that label period. Specs were 35'' / 32 oz (cupped and uncupped) and 34.5" / 33 oz (uncupped).

More importantly, to tag onto Marcus' post a little, the records now available on the Game Used Library section of this site are the exact records that will appear in Vince Malta's book in a couple of weeks. For the price of a membership you can have immediate access to these records PLUS get a copy of the book.

These records are the same records that have heretofore been in the possession of just a handful of people, some of whom strongly spoke against making these records available to collectors. In my opinion, the release of these records represents the second most important event in the 'history' of collecting game used bats, the first being the willingness of H & B to initially grant access to the records in the mid-1990's.

What is the value of these records?

First, and most importantly, relative to Hall of Fame players, collectors can now immediately do a preliminary search and see if a bat they are considering for their collection matches factory records (H & B) or matches a players ordering pattern for the era (other manufacturers). That, in itself, can save many thousands of dollars if it saves a person from purchasing, for example, a 34 inch Mickey Mantle Team Index bat, thinking it was a bat that was actually ordered by Mantle and possibly used by him.

Secondly, these records allow a collector to compare bats (and LOAs) currently in their collections to a player's actual factory records and player ordering patterns and "cross-check" an authenticator's previous work. As has been pointed out over the past month on the forum, the term "Matches Factory Records" may not be defined by an authenticator in the same manner as a collector would expect. See the thread below for the full discussion on this.

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=5464

As far as your question regarding a Global authentication as part of the membership package, I will have to let Chris speak to that issue. He has been attempting to clarify that with Global since Global suspended the "game-used" portion of their authentications following the Brad Wells / Bernie Gernay fiasco during the summer.

Good Luck.

Mike Jackitout7@aol.com

[ChrisCavalier]

Re: Johnny Bench S226 Bat...

As far as your question regarding a Global authentication as part of the membership package, I will have to let Chris speak to that issue. He has been attempting to clarify that with Global since Global suspended the "game-used" portion of their authentications following the Brad Wells / Bernie Gernay fiasco during the summer.

Hello Greg,

I am very sorry I don't have an immediate and comprehensive reply to your question about Global. As Mike has pointed out, I have been seeking clarification from Global regarding their game-used authentication division and have yet to receive a reply.

The last communication I received from Global was that they would continue authenticating game used bats but that seems to be incongruent with the fact that Mike Specht has not been contacted by Global to clarify this point. As you probably know given Mike's unrelenting efforts to educate bat collectors, we believe the value in the Global certification comes from the fact that the bat would be authenticated by Mike Specht. Therefore, if Global is no longer authenticating bats or is using someone other than Mike Specht to do their authentications, we will likely discontinue the free item authentication offer as it pertains to game used items. Notably, Global has already stated the free item authentication code given to GUU Premium members when they join can be used for autograph items and we are comfortable with who they use in that area.

Once again, I am sorry I don't have a direct answer for you at the moment. However, I will let you know as soon as I get a clarification from Global.

Sincerely,
Chris Cavalier
Chris_Cavalier@gameuseduniverse.com
Office - 925.552.8023
Cell - 925.413.1429

[metsbats]

Re: Johnny Bench S226 Bat...

I just wanted to say I joined a couple of weeks ago so I can get a copy of Vince's book. Vince's book and access to the online bat charts alone are worth the price of the 1 year subscription. The free authentication from Global was a nice throw but not the deciding factor on my decision to become a paying member.

The bat charts are awesome and is worth the price of the subscription alone.

David

[ChrisCavalier]

Re: Johnny Bench S226 Bat...

I just wanted to say I joined a couple of weeks ago so I can get a copy of Vince's book. Vince's book and access to the online bat charts alone are worth the price of the 1 year subscription. The free authentication from Global was a nice throw but not the deciding factor on my decision to become a paying member.

The bat charts are awesome and is worth the price of the subscription alone.

Hello David,

Thanks for the post. I have to agree with the following statement made by Mike Specht in his earlier post:

In my opinion, the release of these records represents the second most important event in the 'history' of collecting game used bats, the first being the willingness of H & B to initially grant access to the records in the mid-1990's.

I think the fact that the average collector can now answer for themselves whether or not a bat matches factory records for an H&B bat or is consistent with a players ordering patterns from a specific era (relative to other manufacturers) is a landmark event indeed.

Sincerely,
Chris Cavalier