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One of the game's greatest stars, Ty Cobb's influence on the game of baseball is unparalleled. While stories of his fierce competitive nature are legendary, his feats on the field and, in particular, in the batter's box, earned him the honor of being the first player voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame when it opened in 1936. Here, for auction, is one of the earliest professional model Ty Cobb game used bats in existence – a rookie-era bat Cobb wielded as a weapon during a career where every game, every play, and every at bat was a war.
When Ty Cobb left the game following the 1928 season, he left behind an imprint on the record books that placed him side-by-side with Babe Ruth. His record of 4,189 career hits stood for 56 years, and his lifetime batting average of .366 is a mark that will likely never be surpassed. Cobb ranks among the top five players of all time in games, hits, runs, total bases, doubles, triples, RBIs, and stolen bases. When he retired in 1928, Cobb was the leader in 90 major league or American League offensive categories, and even some 80 years later, still holds more than 30 records.
It is generally conceded by his contemporaries that Cobb could accomplish almost anything he wished with a bat in his hands. In 1925, a reporter asked Cobb about Babe Ruth and the art of the home run. Cobb said that hitting homers was no big deal. To prove it, he brought his hands together and quit chocking up on the bat, and slugged three homers that day (plus a double and two singles.) The next day, to prove his performance wasn't a fluke, he hit two more.
This bat is 34.375 inches in length and weighs approximately 37.9 ounces. As with many turn-of-the-century ball players, factory records for Ty Cobb are limited, and exclusive to Louisville Slugger bats. No factory records are available for bats manufactured by Spalding. In comparison with his subsequent Louisville Slugger records, this bat is consistent in length and weight to Cobb's indexed 34.5 inch length and his documented orders of bats weighing between 35 and 42 ounce.
The centerbrand as it appears is dated to 1908. The label description, " SPALDING / Tyrus R. Cobb / AUTOGRAPH " is found on the centerbrand, and is unique to Cobb's Spalding bats. Other Spalding endorsees of the period were branded with Spalding's Gold Medal branding. Photographic evidence of Cobb's use of this style of bat is documented in period images clearly showing a small (Hornsby) knob and a rounded barrel.
While Spalding was a documented supplier of professional model bats during the pre-1920 era, Spalding-manufactured bats were also made available to the general public. Those bats, however, were found with the Spalding logo stamped onto the barrel, and were issued in 'even lengths,' such as 32, 33, 34, and 35 inches, unlike the characteristics and dimension of this bat.
This bat has a flattened hitting surface above the barrel stamping, caused by repeated contact between the bat and a ball. The presence of this contact in a small and concentrated area is consistent with other Cobb game used exemplars. The presence of cleat marks on the bat is also known as a Cobb trait and documented in other examined Cobb bats. There is no evidence of Cobb's typically patterned tape application on this bat, however this practice did not begin to appear with regularity on Cobb's bats until the teens to early 1920's. During this bat's period of manufacture, Cobb was often photographed with bats bearing no tape or special handle application. The lack of handle tape on this bat, therefore, is consistent with the era.
The letter "A" appears carved into the hand-turned knob of this bat. The genesis and significance of that etching is unknown.
This professional model baseball bat, manufactured by Spalding circa 1908, bearing characteristics of use by Detroit Tiger and Philadelphia A's Hall of Fame player Ty Cobb, is accompanied by a Letter of Opinion by Dave Bushing and Troy Kinunen / MEARS and graded A6 as follows:
Perfectly matches known examples / LS records 5 pointsOptimal and heavy game use characteristics 3 pointsUnknown origin of carved "A" in knob (-) 1 pointSlight layer separation on reverse (-) ½ point Stain on reverse of barrel (-) ½ point
This is a rare opportunity to own an early, game used, rookie-era Ty Cobb professional model baseball bat that predates Cobb's earliest contract with J.F. Hillerich & Son Co., signed on 10/13/1908. In August, 2007 at the Sports Collector's National Convention in Cleveland, an identical Cobb bat, sold for $40,000.00 in auction, approximately three times the opening bid for this outstanding example.
When Ty Cobb left the game following the 1928 season, he left behind an imprint on the record books that placed him side-by-side with Babe Ruth. His record of 4,189 career hits stood for 56 years, and his lifetime batting average of .366 is a mark that will likely never be surpassed. Cobb ranks among the top five players of all time in games, hits, runs, total bases, doubles, triples, RBIs, and stolen bases. When he retired in 1928, Cobb was the leader in 90 major league or American League offensive categories, and even some 80 years later, still holds more than 30 records.
It is generally conceded by his contemporaries that Cobb could accomplish almost anything he wished with a bat in his hands. In 1925, a reporter asked Cobb about Babe Ruth and the art of the home run. Cobb said that hitting homers was no big deal. To prove it, he brought his hands together and quit chocking up on the bat, and slugged three homers that day (plus a double and two singles.) The next day, to prove his performance wasn't a fluke, he hit two more.
This bat is 34.375 inches in length and weighs approximately 37.9 ounces. As with many turn-of-the-century ball players, factory records for Ty Cobb are limited, and exclusive to Louisville Slugger bats. No factory records are available for bats manufactured by Spalding. In comparison with his subsequent Louisville Slugger records, this bat is consistent in length and weight to Cobb's indexed 34.5 inch length and his documented orders of bats weighing between 35 and 42 ounce.
The centerbrand as it appears is dated to 1908. The label description, " SPALDING / Tyrus R. Cobb / AUTOGRAPH " is found on the centerbrand, and is unique to Cobb's Spalding bats. Other Spalding endorsees of the period were branded with Spalding's Gold Medal branding. Photographic evidence of Cobb's use of this style of bat is documented in period images clearly showing a small (Hornsby) knob and a rounded barrel.
While Spalding was a documented supplier of professional model bats during the pre-1920 era, Spalding-manufactured bats were also made available to the general public. Those bats, however, were found with the Spalding logo stamped onto the barrel, and were issued in 'even lengths,' such as 32, 33, 34, and 35 inches, unlike the characteristics and dimension of this bat.
This bat has a flattened hitting surface above the barrel stamping, caused by repeated contact between the bat and a ball. The presence of this contact in a small and concentrated area is consistent with other Cobb game used exemplars. The presence of cleat marks on the bat is also known as a Cobb trait and documented in other examined Cobb bats. There is no evidence of Cobb's typically patterned tape application on this bat, however this practice did not begin to appear with regularity on Cobb's bats until the teens to early 1920's. During this bat's period of manufacture, Cobb was often photographed with bats bearing no tape or special handle application. The lack of handle tape on this bat, therefore, is consistent with the era.
The letter "A" appears carved into the hand-turned knob of this bat. The genesis and significance of that etching is unknown.
This professional model baseball bat, manufactured by Spalding circa 1908, bearing characteristics of use by Detroit Tiger and Philadelphia A's Hall of Fame player Ty Cobb, is accompanied by a Letter of Opinion by Dave Bushing and Troy Kinunen / MEARS and graded A6 as follows:
Perfectly matches known examples / LS records 5 pointsOptimal and heavy game use characteristics 3 pointsUnknown origin of carved "A" in knob (-) 1 pointSlight layer separation on reverse (-) ½ point Stain on reverse of barrel (-) ½ point
This is a rare opportunity to own an early, game used, rookie-era Ty Cobb professional model baseball bat that predates Cobb's earliest contract with J.F. Hillerich & Son Co., signed on 10/13/1908. In August, 2007 at the Sports Collector's National Convention in Cleveland, an identical Cobb bat, sold for $40,000.00 in auction, approximately three times the opening bid for this outstanding example.