Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

**JimCaravello** · 07-12-2006, 04:11 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Munson Bat is already at $2,700 with a few days to go - noted bat authenticator Dave Bushing is the high bidder - should be fun to watch !! Jim

**skipcareyisfat** · 07-12-2006, 04:21 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Jim,
How much do you think this bat is worth?
Thanks,
Jason

**sportscentury** · 07-12-2006, 04:33 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Jim,

That is a nice Munson bat.

Interestingly, I have been in contact with the seller as he is also selling a Carlton bat. The knob on the bat is blacked out and, after explaining the significance of this to the seller, I suggested strongly that he post a photo of the knob (as clearly the bat is worth much less with a blacked out knob). The seller told me that he does not know how to work the camera. Since that time, he has added additional photos to his other bat auctions on two different days. I also suggested that he add to his description that the knob is blacked out, or, at the very least, post my email to him on his auction (as it was sent to him through the eBay system). There was no response to these suggestions. Clearly, the seller knows how to post bidder questions on his auction, as he has already done this with another bidder. In fact, the question that he posted asked what numbers are on the knob. He answered the question incorrectly (S44 is a LS model number, not an Adirondack, of course). I feel for the high bidder as he will be pretty disappointed/surprised to find that he has paid several hundred dollars for a Carlton spring training bat with a blacked out knob. I am out of the bidding as I have absolutely no interest in the bat at the current bid, so please don't think I'm posting this to deter other people from bidding on the bat.

Reid

**JimCaravello** · 07-12-2006, 05:06 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Jason - that's a good question. You may recall the Munson bat that sold in American Memorabilia earlier this for I believe around $7,300 before the hammer. That bat was incredible - tons of tar and use and it also had bat boy provenance. If Bushing is the high bidder now at $2,500 - you know he has no intention of hanging this on the wall at home. He is looking to resell the bat. Bidders may back off because its from spring training, but it could be very well from the previous year - 1974. During the 1973 - 1975 time period, Munson orderd S44C ( cupped ) bats only twice - Twelve ( 12 ) bats on 8-10-74 and Twelve ( 12 ) bats on 1-8-75. Both orders were for 35" and 32 ounce bats. The bat is definitely from one of those two orders. Only Munson would know which order the bat is from - God rest his soul..........

I know some private bidders that would go as high as $4,000 - including myself ( I am not tipping my hand - I don't know how high I will go, as I have a very nice Munson hanging on my wall.... )

I estimate the bat will go off in the $5K range - +/-.......maybe it will only bring $3,500 - somtimes you just don't know on ebay.

Reid - regarding the responses you posted from the Seller - I personally know the Seller has been hounded with e-mails on all these bats when I asked him a question about the handle. He is probably thinking "what the heck is going on!" He probably has a little of the deer in headlights look with all the questions and it appears that many ebayers have offered him side deals to shut the auction down based on the revised comments he has posted.

Jim

**GameBats** · 07-12-2006, 05:29 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

"but it could be very well from the previous year - 1974"

Jim,
Are you suggesting this bat may have been used during the 1974 regular season?

John

**skipcareyisfat** · 07-12-2006, 05:52 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Originally posted by JimCaravello

Jason - that's a good question. You may recall the Munson bat that sold in American Memorabilia earlier this for I believe around $7,300 before the hammer. That bat was incredible - tons of tar and use and it also had bat boy provenance. If Bushing is the high bidder now at $2,500 - you know he has no intention of hanging this on the wall at home. He is looking to resell the bat. Bidders may back off because its from spring training, but it could be very well from the previous year - 1974. During the 1973 - 1975 time period, Munson orderd S44C ( cupped ) bats only twice - Twelve ( 12 ) bats on 8-10-74 and Twelve ( 12 ) bats on 1-8-75. Both orders were for 35" and 32 ounce bats. The bat is definitely from one of those two orders. Only Munson would know which order the bat is from - God rest his soul..........

I know some private bidders that would go as high as $4,000 - including myself ( I am not tipping my hand - I don't know how high I will go, as I have a very nice Munson hanging on my wall.... )

I estimate the bat will go off in the $5K range - +/-.......maybe it will only bring $3,500 - somtimes you just don't know on ebay.

Jim

Thanks, Jim. As soon as I posted that question, I was able to find a few closed auctions for Munson bats. Aside from the AM one, several others sold for quite a bit less via Lelands. It'll be fun to watch this auction. I bet the next 2 1/2 days are going to go by really slow for anyone bidding.

Much anticipation.

Jason

**sportscentury** · 07-12-2006, 05:54 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Originally posted by JimCaravello

Reid - regarding the responses you posted from the Seller - I personally know the Seller has been hounded with e-mails on all these bats when I asked him a question about the handle. He is probably thinking "what the heck is going on!" He probably has a little of the deer in headlights look with all the questions and it appears that many ebayers have offered him side deals to shut the auction down based on the revised comments he has posted.

Jim

Jim,

I always appreciate your positive attitude (truly). I want to believe that you are right about this, but I'm struggling to. Hopefully, he'll post the photo of the knob or at least add this pertinent information to the description.

Reid

**Yankwood** · 07-12-2006, 06:07 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

I have a pretty good link to the seller as he is from Rochester like me. He moved to Fla. when he was a kid. That's how he got the Red Wing flannel he has for sale. He told me the model number on the Carlton is a 241B and he will post pictures.

**JimCaravello** · 07-12-2006, 07:19 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Reid - I hear ya - just trying to stay positive............

John - yes, it would be hard to tell exactly what shipment the bat is from as the two orders were identical. It was common for players to carry bats from one year to the next back then. The 1974 order was in August and he could have easily gone through 12 bats during that time frame, but Munson also used Adirondack bats during this same period - and maybe he carried a few bats to spring training that were unused or used from 1974 -so who really knows! As mentioned, only Thurman really knows........

Jim

**yanks12025** · 07-12-2006, 08:16 PM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Man i wish i had the money to buy that bat. Only thing wrong it dont show alot of use.

**GameBats** · 07-13-2006, 10:41 AM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

"I sat with him in the dugout before the game started as he personally wrote his number 15 on the handle and the cupped end of 3 of his bats. This is the bat he used during his first at bat and cracked it, as he fouled the ball off down the Left Field line."

In my opinion, the sellars above statement dates the use of the bat to spring training 1975 only. I believe if the new owner represents the bat as being used or possibly used during the regular season he/she is doing so in order to reap greater profits through misrepresentation of the bat. What do you guys think?

John

**JimCaravello** · 07-13-2006, 11:00 AM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

John - I don't think the Seller is representing the bat was used during the regular season. My post just confirms when these bats were ordered by Munson and there is a possibility that the bat was not new when he used it in spring training and it could have been carried over from the previous year from the August shipment of bats. I think you have to assume this is a spreing training bat, but I just raise the possibility based on shipping records. It will be interesting to see who wins the bat and how it may be remarketed in the future. Jim

**Yankwood** · 07-13-2006, 11:47 AM

Re: Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

It was used and cracked in spring training in Ft. Myers.

**sportscentury** · 07-13-2006, 12:00 PM

Carlton bat

Originally posted by JimCaravello

Reid - I hear ya - just trying to stay positive............Jim

Jim and Yankwood,

I am glad to see that the seller put the scans up. I am confused, though. The seller told me that Carlton was the last person to use the bat. His 32 is in red on the barrel end, but the knob is blacked out. Does anyone know why the knob would be blacked out if Lefty was the last one to use his own bat? I am truly curious about this and not trying to say anything bad about the bat. The seller does not know the answer (which is understandable).

Thanks,
Reid

Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

Munson Bat on ebay - Nice! Provenance!

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