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One of the rarest of all Hall of Fame player bats, this J.F. Hillerich & Son Co. block letter model has previously been unknown to the sports memorabilia hobby. This professional model Sam Crawford bat has resided in the family of the consignor for nearly 100 years.
Wahoo Sam Crawford was one of the greatest all-around players of the dead-ball era. His professional Major League career began in 1899 with the Cincinnati Reds where, by 1902, he was firmly established as one of the league's best young hitters. In 1903 he signed with the Detroit Tigers and immediately continued his offensive assault, hitting .335 and pounding out 25 triples. After Ty Cobb's arrival in Detroit in 1905, Cobb and Crawford soon became the league's most potent one-two punch. Together, they led the Tigers to the first of three straight pennants from 1907 to 1909 and continued their offensive prowess for the next decade. Crawford hit over .300 in eleven of his nineteen Major League seasons, and finished with a .309 career batting average. He also hit 309 career triples -- an all-time record that will likely never be broken. Sam Crawford was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957 behind the vigorous campaigning of his teammate, Ty Cobb.
This bat originates from the estate of semi-professional baseball player Elmer John Shuster (b. 1892) who played baseball in his youth on a semi-pro team in Columbus, Ohio. Upon Mr. Shuster's death in 1995, this bat was given to his great-grandson. The specific details of Mr. Shuster's acquisition of this bat are unknown.
This bat is 34 inches in length and weighs approximately 40 ounces. As with many turn-of-the-century ballplayers, factory records for Sam Crawford are extremely limited. The documented records from H & B indicate that, at specific points in his career and shortly thereafter, 1911 and 1920, Crawford ordered bats weighing between 40 and 43 ounces. The weight of this bat falls within that range. Length is not specified in the existing records. This bat also contains the brand "Oil Tempered" on the barrel. The use of oil tempered bats by professional players has been documented in examples of side-written bats returned to H & B by professional players between 1914 and 1922, and by reference within H & B shipping records into the mid-1930's.
This bat contains the rare, transitional centerbrand that incorporates the following details: 1) the branding J.F. HILLERICH & SON CO. appears on professional model bats manufactured between 1910 and 1915. In 1916, the name BRADSBY was incorporated into the center brand (filed with U.S. Patent Office in November, 1915); 2) The branding 125 was added in 1915, however was evidenced a year earlier; 3) the "dash-dot-dash" in the lower part of the center brand remained until 1922. The above combination of the centerbrand features on this bat is seen as transitional, and is most recognized as a single year 1915 centerbrand that was the last one used before the inclusion of Frank Bradsby's name. The actual transitional period of this brand may have extended a bit before the 1915 season.
This bat has the name CRAWFORD burned into the barrel in a manner and font consistent with that used between 1905 and 1922. The branding of only the last name of the player is also consistent with the period. Sam Crawford never signed an endorsement contract with the company, and, therefore, bats bearing his block letter last name were not made available to the public.
Heavy game use is evidenced on this bat with the presence of ball marks, cleat marks, grain separation (checking) caused by repeated ball contact, and a crack in the handle area approximately 5 ½ inches from the knob and secured with a nine-inch spiral application of black tape. The knob of this bat also shows wear that suggests repeated use by a left-handed hitter, due to the worn area likely caused by the little finger of the right hand held low onto the knob.
During the period of manufacture of this bat, there were only two players confirmed as active in professional baseball with the last name of Crawford. Ken Crawford had a brief, one-month Major League career in September, 1915 with the Baltimore Terrapins. He appeared in 23 games and amassed 82 at bats. Sam Crawford, as noted above, had a long 19-year Major League career with a high degree of success that culminated in his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His entire career was spent in the midwest region of the country, specifically in Ohio and Michigan. This bat was originally sourced from that geographic area, and has remained in the possession of the consignor's family until this time.
This bat includes Letters of Authenticity from Vince Malta & John Taube (PSA/DNA) and Mike Specht (BATS.) The stated conclusion of Malta and Taube, following examination and evaluation of this bat, is as follows: "…we are inclined to conclude that there is a high probability the bat is a professional model Sam Crawford bat. It is also our opinion that the bat can be attributed to being used by Sam Crawford." Specht concludes: "In my opinion, compelling evidence exists to characterize this bat as a professional model baseball bat manufactured by J.F. Hillerich & Son Co. at the request of Detroit Tiger Hall of Fame player Wahoo Sam Crawford and subsequently used by him, likely during the Major League season of either 1914 or 1915."
Wahoo Sam Crawford was one of the greatest all-around players of the dead-ball era. His professional Major League career began in 1899 with the Cincinnati Reds where, by 1902, he was firmly established as one of the league's best young hitters. In 1903 he signed with the Detroit Tigers and immediately continued his offensive assault, hitting .335 and pounding out 25 triples. After Ty Cobb's arrival in Detroit in 1905, Cobb and Crawford soon became the league's most potent one-two punch. Together, they led the Tigers to the first of three straight pennants from 1907 to 1909 and continued their offensive prowess for the next decade. Crawford hit over .300 in eleven of his nineteen Major League seasons, and finished with a .309 career batting average. He also hit 309 career triples -- an all-time record that will likely never be broken. Sam Crawford was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957 behind the vigorous campaigning of his teammate, Ty Cobb.
This bat originates from the estate of semi-professional baseball player Elmer John Shuster (b. 1892) who played baseball in his youth on a semi-pro team in Columbus, Ohio. Upon Mr. Shuster's death in 1995, this bat was given to his great-grandson. The specific details of Mr. Shuster's acquisition of this bat are unknown.
This bat is 34 inches in length and weighs approximately 40 ounces. As with many turn-of-the-century ballplayers, factory records for Sam Crawford are extremely limited. The documented records from H & B indicate that, at specific points in his career and shortly thereafter, 1911 and 1920, Crawford ordered bats weighing between 40 and 43 ounces. The weight of this bat falls within that range. Length is not specified in the existing records. This bat also contains the brand "Oil Tempered" on the barrel. The use of oil tempered bats by professional players has been documented in examples of side-written bats returned to H & B by professional players between 1914 and 1922, and by reference within H & B shipping records into the mid-1930's.
This bat contains the rare, transitional centerbrand that incorporates the following details: 1) the branding J.F. HILLERICH & SON CO. appears on professional model bats manufactured between 1910 and 1915. In 1916, the name BRADSBY was incorporated into the center brand (filed with U.S. Patent Office in November, 1915); 2) The branding 125 was added in 1915, however was evidenced a year earlier; 3) the "dash-dot-dash" in the lower part of the center brand remained until 1922. The above combination of the centerbrand features on this bat is seen as transitional, and is most recognized as a single year 1915 centerbrand that was the last one used before the inclusion of Frank Bradsby's name. The actual transitional period of this brand may have extended a bit before the 1915 season.
This bat has the name CRAWFORD burned into the barrel in a manner and font consistent with that used between 1905 and 1922. The branding of only the last name of the player is also consistent with the period. Sam Crawford never signed an endorsement contract with the company, and, therefore, bats bearing his block letter last name were not made available to the public.
Heavy game use is evidenced on this bat with the presence of ball marks, cleat marks, grain separation (checking) caused by repeated ball contact, and a crack in the handle area approximately 5 ½ inches from the knob and secured with a nine-inch spiral application of black tape. The knob of this bat also shows wear that suggests repeated use by a left-handed hitter, due to the worn area likely caused by the little finger of the right hand held low onto the knob.
During the period of manufacture of this bat, there were only two players confirmed as active in professional baseball with the last name of Crawford. Ken Crawford had a brief, one-month Major League career in September, 1915 with the Baltimore Terrapins. He appeared in 23 games and amassed 82 at bats. Sam Crawford, as noted above, had a long 19-year Major League career with a high degree of success that culminated in his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His entire career was spent in the midwest region of the country, specifically in Ohio and Michigan. This bat was originally sourced from that geographic area, and has remained in the possession of the consignor's family until this time.
This bat includes Letters of Authenticity from Vince Malta & John Taube (PSA/DNA) and Mike Specht (BATS.) The stated conclusion of Malta and Taube, following examination and evaluation of this bat, is as follows: "…we are inclined to conclude that there is a high probability the bat is a professional model Sam Crawford bat. It is also our opinion that the bat can be attributed to being used by Sam Crawford." Specht concludes: "In my opinion, compelling evidence exists to characterize this bat as a professional model baseball bat manufactured by J.F. Hillerich & Son Co. at the request of Detroit Tiger Hall of Fame player Wahoo Sam Crawford and subsequently used by him, likely during the Major League season of either 1914 or 1915."