Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Heres some more photos, thanks for the feed back guys.... Let me know.

Im pretty sure the pine tar is consistent with albert bats, Im trying to show it with the photos.

[rj_lucas]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Very nice bat Rick, I love that ink transfer. Can't be too many signed rookie gamers floating around....Also looks like there is some deep lace marks as well!

Thanks, I picked it up from the Tony LaRussa Animal Rescue Foundation auction in 2001. If you don't mind, would you contact me off-forum when you have a chance? Specifically, I'd like to know if you have any 2001 Cardinals games from between August 22 and October 7 on tape. If so, I'd love to pay you if I could borrow them to have DVDs made.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[STLHAMMER32]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Here are shots of my Pujols C243 from 2001 to illustrate some of Jeff's points.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

Very nice bat Rick, I love that ink transfer. Can't be too many signed rookie gamers floating around....Also looks like there is some deep lace marks as well!

As far as the bat in question, I would be curious to know if there was any deep lace indentions?

I have noticed that Albert's pine tar seems to have a different look to it. It usually doesn't have that clumped pine tar appearance that you often see. Is this due to the type of pine tar he uses?

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Thats definitely older, the autograph is vintage from his rookie year, it also not maple. I did a bad job with the photos, but the pine tar does match up. Im pretty up set right now either way.

-Tony

[rj_lucas]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Here are shots of my Pujols C243 from 2001 to illustrate some of Jeff's points.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Ill post more pictures, there actually is a decent amount of tar towards the middle of the bat, its hard to see in the photos I posted. Ill post the ends also.

-Tony

[Birdbats]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

It would help if you could post more photos -- the knob, the end, the barrel around the bat, etc.

Some things to consider:

• Albert's first LS bats had the MLB logo on the front/sweet spot. Most of his early bats, though, should have the MLB logo and TPX logo on the back. I have seen a couple legit bats (not Albert's) without the logos on the back; maybe production errors, I don't know. The lack of logos on the back, in my opinion, doesn't automatically mean the bat isn't legit.
• Most of Albert's C243C maple bats (the last C means cupped) were shipped with no finish. Your bat has a clear, natural finish. I see just two orders for natural finish C243C bats on Albert's records -- 12 total. Half are 34", 32 oz., half are 34", 31.5 oz. So, again, the natural finish is unusual, but not a deal breaker.
• If the knob has 34.5 or 33.5 written on the knob, that's cause for some concern. Whether that's a reference to the bat's length or weight, it doesn't match either. I'd expect bats from Albert's C243C natural orders to say "34-32," "4-2," "34-31.5" or "4-1.5".
  
• The pine tar on the lower part of the handle isn't typical for Albert. On his early bats, you should see a darkening of the wood on the upper handle, but most of the handle is void of tar. So, the tar is a bit of a red flag for me.

Look forward to seeing more shots.

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Thanks for the signature details, i appreciate it. I personally this its one of the promo bats. The guy I got it from has had many pujols bats and is in TIGHT with Dodgers organization and told me that he knows a particular coach on the Cardinals where he has gotten his pujols gamers.

Im just trying to trace the model but it is weird.

-Tony

[rj_lucas]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

The signature is legit, and appears to be vintage e.g. in 2002-2003 Albert still used the # in front of the 5 and placed the number below his name instead of embedding it within the s in Pujols as he began doing around 2004-2005, at which point he also dropped the #. In 2002-2003 he also began placing the ' after the year (as McGwire generally does). Prior to that, Pujols placed the ' before the year.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

It might be 33.5 actually, not sure.

-Tony

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Im pretty sure, 34.5 is written at the bottom, but I can check when I get home, im at school right now.

-Tony

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Yea, 5 written also.

-Tony

[5kRunner]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Is the end cupped?

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Its weird because it is a maple bat, but it doesn't say "Maple" by the louisville, it may be a promo bat; !?!?!?! The other characteristics appear correct, there is light to moderate pine tar, and pine tar missing where his hands would be.

The autographs is 100% legit, if anyone knows albert autographs... then they would agree.

-Tony

[spartanservitto]

Re: Albert Pujols Louisville order question (2002-2003)

Yea that is definitely weird, if anyone else knows anything about this, it would help. Ive actually never seen a louisville with the added "C" at the end, at the C243's ive seen have been listed like mine.

-Tony