Honus Wagner Bat

[vintagesportscollector]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

I agree with Marcus and Mike. This appears to be a short store model bat with no provenance, and no apparent evidence it’s a professional model or gamer. Probably no more than A3, if that, and I would guess anywhere from $1,000 - $5,000 given “fair” quality of the decal. Still a wonderful piece.

Joe K.

[Steve Jensen]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

The knob that was pictured did not appear to have inch marks on it which would mean that it is probably not a store model bat. i could not tell if it was hand turned which would add to the possibility of it being game used. my opinion is based on the fact that i've seen store model decal bats and game used decal bats and this one appears to be game used. the decal on the store model decal bats look much different than this one. The handle on this one is much thicker and stood out to me. based on MEARS grading criteria i'm just guessing that it would be anywhere from an A4-A7 but it will depend heavily on the weight. either way, a very nice bat.

Best,
Steve

www.vintageauthentics.com
866-304-3090

[vintagesportscollector]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

Steve- How do you reconcile that fact that this bat is 33" and the possibility of it being game used? Is that even possible if Wagner never used bats less than about 34.5" in length?

[Steve Jensen]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

i dont think that anyone can definitively say that he NEVER used 33 inch bats. What you can say is that he preferred the 34.5 inch bat. We sold a side written bat that he sent to louisville that was 34.5 inches so we know that is a preferred length. that fact is, in the deadball era, players were known to use use shorter and lighter bats on occasion. we have definitely seen that his coaches bats are shorter and lighter than the bats from his playing days.

[vintagesportscollector]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

That's fair. Never is too strong a word. But there is no evidence Wagner used a 33". Seems doubtful it would even grade a base A5 since it doesn't match his know specs. It seems more likely this is a store model...but who knows. That and given the lack of provenance, any large investment in this would seem unwise.

[nesportspromotions]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

OK sorry I've been away for a while...

This bat has gotten some SERIOUS feedback!

I'm red faced AGAIN but... Who is MEARS? How do I go about sending a bat to him? Does anyone know the cost for his inspection & letter?

When I joined gameuseduniverse.com I'm entitled to a free Authentication from Global. Should I use that for this bat?

Thanks AGAIN!

You guys are the most helpful people I've met over the net.

[trsent]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

OK sorry I've been away for a while...

This bat has gotten some SERIOUS feedback!

I'm red faced AGAIN but... Who is MEARS? How do I go about sending a bat to him? Does anyone know the cost for his inspection & letter?

When I joined gameuseduniverse.com I'm entitled to a free Authentication from Global. Should I use that for this bat?

Thanks AGAIN!

You guys are the most helpful people I've met over the net.

Go to:

http://www.mearsonline.com/

[ChrisCavalier]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

OK sorry I've been away for a while...

This bat has gotten some SERIOUS feedback!

I'm red faced AGAIN but... Who is MEARS? How do I go about sending a bat to him? Does anyone know the cost for his inspection & letter?

When I joined gameuseduniverse.com I'm entitled to a free Authentication from Global. Should I use that for this bat?

Thanks AGAIN!

You guys are the most helpful people I've met over the net.

Hello nesports,

Regarding bat authentications, you currently have three primary options:

1) PSA/DNA - the authenticators are John Taube and Vince Malta

2) MEARS - the authenticators are Dave Bushing and Troy Kinunen

3) Global - the authenticator is Mike Specht (who contributed to this thread...post #4)

As you can see from this thread there are different approaches to the authentication process, some of which are more liberal than others. I have had a number of experiences with all of the bat authenticators mentioned above and my personal preferences are Taube/Malta and Mike Specht.

You may also want to seek feedback from some of the other members as well.

Sincerely,
Chris Cavalier

[nesportspromotions]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

It weighs 36 ounces....

I just weighed it.

Anyone have any further suggestions?

Mears with shipping & paying for their letter will cost over $400. I don't want to send it to them unless their letter will help it bring $2,000+ in an auction.

What do you guys think? Is it worth it?

THANKS!

[sportscentury]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

Mears with shipping & paying for their letter will cost over $400. I don't want to send it to them unless their letter will help it bring $2,000+ in an auction.

If you are unsure of its authenticity, this is a risk, I understand. My recommendation would be for you to post photos on this website and ask the many knowledgeable members of this forum. Then, based on what folks tell you, you can make a more educated decision as to whether the $400 investment will pay off in an auction down the road. Make sense?

As for Chris' suggestions of bat authenticators, they are all very good. Mike Specht is on this site a lot and is an endlessly selfless and helpful person (I single him out because of his involvement with the site - the other guys have all been very nice and helpful to me over the years, too)and he could probably give you some very good information if you simply post the pics and details on this site. Jim Caravello is also well respected and involved in this site, and may also be able to help.

There are one or two other "bat experts" who write letters for bats, as well, but I would stay away (they are not listed on Chris' list) as I have seen endless mistakes (the "mistakes" are always made in their own favor, as they are made with respect to bats they are selling!) and I know that they do not have the factory records that the gentlemen on Chris' list have ... so be careful.

Reid

[trsent]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

Another idea is if you are looking to sell the item, send it to a major auction house for submission and they will have the item authenticated in advance of sale.

I know Mastro, Grey Flannel and American Memorabilia all partake in such a practice as I am sure do other major auction houses.

[Steve Jensen]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

being that the bat measures 33 inches and weighs 36 ounces, my guess is that it would probably grade an A6 or A7. it would lose 1 point for being a little short but i believe the 36 ounces falls within the acceptable category due to aging. Bats lose a little weight over time so i think 36 ounces is ok. i really dont think you could lose anything by submitting it for authentication. I think MEARS and PSA only charge for actually writing the LOA which means that it passed and was graded. i think the worse you could do is get an A6, and for a player era Wagner, you're going to get at least in the $20,000 range with a possibility of more if it grades an A7. if you auction it, just negotiate to have the auction house eat the authentication fee as Joe suggested and you can't go wrong, we definitely would for a bat like that. i amagine any auction would. Good luck, that is a quality bat.

Steve Jensen
www.vintageauthentics.com
866-304-3090

[b.heagy]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

I would put it in one of the major auction houses with a reserve. As Joel pointed out the big guys have the authenticaters come in and review items. If it is a gamer they will let it be known since they would get a nice chunk of comission. Could be a professional model used by another player as well. Hard to say how it would turn out but worth the effort.

Bill

[trsent]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

It should be noted, if our ideas are clicking, Steve Jensen at Vintage Authentics from the post above would be a great choice of an auction house to consign to.

[ghostkid]

Re: Honus Wagner Bat

Steve,

Wow! $20K or more for a decal bat that falls outside the known specs of a Honus Wagner gamer??? I'm shocked, as I figured a bat like this might sell at auction for $4000-5000, minus commission. I guess the difference is that you are assuming this is a Wagner gamer, and I think it's just a very cool vintage decal bat made during Wagner's playing days. I'm looking forward to hearing what the professional authenticators think.

Kevin