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Top Five Game-Used Bat Questions Answered

Joe Orlando

"How do you know if a bat is real"

This is one of the best aspects to collecting game-used bats. With bats, there is virtually no doubt as to whether the bat was actually ordered by the player for game use or whether the bat is some type of show, store, or limited edition model bat. Distinct labeling, records and wood quality helps separate the real gamers from all other bats, a bat's authenticity is basically not arguable anymore.

With the availability of company shipping records and in-depth research performed by recognized bat experts, we can now determine the authenticity of a bat without question. For years, due to a major lack of information, no one seemed to know what was a true gamer and what was not. Today, the majority of the mystery is nonexistent so the level of bat authentication has vastly improved. Dating bats is much easier than it was 10 years ago.

Besides bat labeling on the barrel, knob labeling and wood grain can also help us determine what era a bat was from. If shipping records are available, we can pinpoint when a player received a certain model bat. For instance, I once owned a Ted Williams bat that could be pinpointed to 1954. The reason you could pinpoint it is because the shipping records showed that he only ordered that particular model, length and weight in the spring of 1954 and never ordered that type of bat before or after that.

Some dealers will try to market a bat by saying this is a real game bat made to the exact specifications as the player's own game bat. This is commonly seen but you need to be wary because a real game bat is different from a replica bat created for autograph signings or resale in the hobby. A bat might look just like the one that a player uses in the game. It could have the same weight, length and barrel labeling as the real gamer, but it's not a real gamer. Real gamers are ordered by the player for game use and will contain some distinguishing mark to separate it from the replica.

For instance, Adirondack will usually create only a couple of World Series bats that are made for actual game use. Adirondack will also create a few more bats for the player that look, at first glance, exactly like the real gamers, but there is a difference. On these particular bats, if you go to the knob area of the bat, the non-gamers will have a rough appearance with no identifying labeling. The real gamers usually have some type of labeling like the player's initials, model number, or year designation.

In conclusion, due to the available information today, we can now determine whether a bat was ordered by a player for game use during their career.

"Even if a bat is real, how do we know if the player used it?"

This is a legitimate question and one that is asked a great deal. How do we know if a player used the bat? In some cases we know for sure and other times we don't. Over the next few paragraphs, I hope to put collectors at ease.

As mentioned above, some bats will actually come with a letter from the player or the player's agent stating that the bat was used by the player. This is just about the finest proof that you could hope for, but most of the time collectors are not so lucky. What other factors can we look at to determine if the player actually used the bat? Let's take a look.

When it comes to vintage bats, the factors are more reassuring than for modern bats. Collectors will sometimes say something like, "I know that players will sometimes use bats from other teammates, so how do you know Duke Snider actually used this bat?" Here's a breakdown.

First, in the earlier days of the game, players were not issued anywhere near the amount of bats that players are issued today. In fact, Ken Griffey Jr. has had more bats produced for him in a year and a half than Mickey Mantle had made for his entire career! For this reason, players were very protective of their bats. Sure, players would let a teammate borrow a bat or try it out if they asked, but bats weren't loaned frequently. In talking with former batboys and players, most players would only have a handful of bats at one time, so each one was cherished.

Second, even if a player borrowed a bat, it didn't last for long. For instance, if Mickey Mantle was in a batting slump and borrowed one of Hank Bauer's bats, he wouldn't use it for long. Why, you might ask? There are two main reasons.

Mantle, as a player, knows that you don't have many bats to begin with so he would realize that Bauer would need it back. The main reason, however, is that once Mantle has decided that he likes Bauer's model bat, he can order the exact same model with his name on it. In other words, why would you keep using Bauer's bat if you could immediately order some from the factory that have your name on it? All you had to do is pick up the phone. Sure players would occasionally borrow another player's bat, but it was rare and never lasted too long.

Even if we are talking about modern bats, players might borrow a bat but they can have new bats made to their specifications and sent to them very quickly. In fact, the bat factories are turning out bats faster than ever so players are using their own bats 99% of the time. The chances that your Mark McGwire bat was used solely by Jim Edmonds is slim to none.

Another way you determine if a player used a particular bat is by checking for player modifications. Some players use massive amounts of pine tar while others don't use tar at all. Some players tape the handle like Ken Griffey Jr. or Duke Snider and others shave the handle, there are many different modifications that players will make to bats but this can help confirm that the player actually used it.

Some players, in fact most players, will change their modification tendencies throughout their career so it can be very helpful to look at photos, baseball cards and video footage to see what the player's bat looks like. For instance, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle went through time periods where they used no pine tar and other times they would coat the handle with it. It's very important to do as much research on the player as possible before buying a bat.

The only problem occurs when unused game bats are stolen or obtained from the player and someone doctors the bat to make it appear as if it were used. This is not a common problem with vintage bats because people can't find legitimate vintage bats to begin with. So, in the extremely rare instance that they do find an unused vintage gamer, they will usually leave it in its original condition because even an unused vintage gamer can have tremendous value.

With modern bats, while the chances of finding a doctored bat are much higher than with vintage ones, collectors should not be too afraid. First, you should make sure that you are buying the bat from a reputable dealer or source. This can save you from a huge headache down the road. There are a lot of people out there who will claim, just like with autographs, that they have a connection to a team or that the player gave them the bat. I am not saying that these people are all dishonest, just protect yourself by asking as many questions as you can.

The next thing to look for on modern gamers is true game use. If the source of the bat is questionable, look for evidence of bat rack marks, seam or lace marks, heavy ball marks that cannot be faked or other distinguishing marks. For instance, if someone is offering you a Mark McGwire game-used bat that shows no evidence of pine tar and no evidence of wear on the barrel (where Mac would hit the ball), you might want to pass.

The key to remember here is that while collectors should look for key characteristics on a particular bat, they shouldn't be afraid of buying gamers. If collectors make sure that they are informed, determining if a player actually used a bat shouldn't be overly difficult.

"How rare are game-used bats?"

The short answer to this question is that it depends on the bat as you might imagine, but generally speaking, bats are far scarcer than most baseball cards are. There's no comparison. Here are a few examples.

Take the famous 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner card. That card is known as one of the greatest rarities in the hobby and the famous PSA NM-MT 8 just sold for $1,265,000 at auction. Now that card is truly incredible and in very high demand partly due to the fact most experts believe that there are fewer than 50 known copies of the card. On the other hand, did you know that most experts believe that there are only 5 Honus Wagner game-used bats in existence? Now, that is rare.

Here's another illustration of how rare bats can be. Usually, when a company produces a limited edition card or autographed product, they will limit the item anywhere from 100 to 500 items. A number within that range is considered very rare, and when you consider that 500 limited edition items equals 10 per state, that really puts the rarity into focus. Did you know that, on average, Mickey Mantle only received about 20-25 bats per year for game use? That's for the entire year! If I told you that there was going to be an Alex Rodriguez card produced this year with only 20-25 made, collectors would go into a frenzy trying to get one.

To further the Mantle example, remember that the 20-25 number is merely the number of bats that Mantle actually received, it's not how many survived. Before baseball memorabilia sales became such a booming business in the late 1980s and early 1990s, no one realized the value of keeping game-used bats. The amount of bats that survived is the key.

As recently as 15 years ago, most bats were discarded after they were cracked during a game or after the season was over. Imagine what it was like 25-50 years ago! Most people are familiar with the term "firewood" and that's exactly what became of vintage game-used bats. If the bat wasn't fit for game use, it had no purpose. Bats were not worth much as a collectible back then, so very few people ever thought of saving them.

During an interview with Bill Morrow, the son of former H&B (now known as Louisville Slugger) bat company representative Henry Morrow, he told me that his parents had a basement filled with bats that players had given his dad over the years. When the pile grew too large, his parents literally threw the bats into the fire or into the garbage. There was just no reason too keep such a huge mass of baseball bats at that time. Just hearing that story makes me ill thinking about what treasures were lost, but Bill Morrow has a good sense of humor about the whole thing. Most of us can look back and realize we should have kept one thing or another, but who knew? Who knew that baseball memorabilia would become what it is today?

Bill's story helps illustrate how truly rare game-used bats are. Here's a gentleman, Henry Morrow, who had more access to players and their bats than anyone in the country and even he discarded the lumber he was able to acquire. If that story doesn't tell you about bat rarity, I don't know what will. Even when it comes to modern bats, the numbers may be significantly higher in comparison to vintage bats, but the rarity, in comparison to cards, is still much greater. In many cases, the number of game-used bats that have survived through the years is very, very low.

"Does condition affect the value of a game-used bat?"

For those of you who have only collected sportscards until now, this concept may be hard to comprehend. Yes, condition can affect the value of a bat, but condition takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to game-used bats.

Game-used bats are supposed to have wear, hence the term game-used. If the bat was in mint condition, that means it is not game-used and the player never prepped the bat for game action, never brought the bat to the plate with him and never hit a baseball with it. Much of the value, when it comes to game-used items, turns on the amount of use. Collectors need to understand that when it comes to buying game-used bats or any other game-used item, you want to see some showing of legitimate wear. If no wear is present, the value can be diminished significantly.

In my opinion, more use equals more value. Why? If the point of owning a piece of game-used memorabilia is to own a real piece of history or something that is directly connected to a player and his accomplishments, wouldn't more use indicate that the bat was in the player's hands for a longer period of time? Furthermore, if there is more use, wouldn't that indicate that there is a greater chance that the player collected more hits with that bat? It seems logical to me, but who said logic had anything to do with this hobby.

Not all collectors feel this way. In fact, many collectors prefer bats with lighter use in hopes that the bat makes for a better display piece. Those collectors cringe at cracks and shudder at pine tar, not me. When I look for a nice bat, I want to see at least a solid showing of game action. If not, the player barely touched it and the bat becomes a mere game-issued bat instead. Game-issued bats are nice, but they don't have the same appeal or historical importance that a real game-used bats have. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Now, if a bat has a condition defect that significantly takes away from the eye-appeal of the bat, that defect will detract from the value. There's no question about it. For instance, if an enormous piece was missing from bat where the player's name is supposed to be or if the bat is warped or stained by something other than pine tar or natural soiling from use, that would drop the value of the bat. The same could be said for a severe crack that has not been repaired correctly. The bottom line is that the person buying the bat determines what he or she likes when it comes to visual appeal, but as long as the defect isn't too disturbing to the overall appeal, it shouldn't be a major factor.

The issue of whether a crack affects the value is another hot topic. As stated above, cracks should not take away from the value of a bat as long as the crack does not severely impair the overall look of the piece. When hitters gets jammed, bats crack. When hitters catch one near the end of the bat, bats crack. When hitters connect with a fastball near the center label, bats crack. It's part of the game and is evidence of true game use. There is no hard rule one way or the other. Some people like cracked bats and others like uncracked bats. It's a matter of taste.

In summary, I would suggest that you should make sure there is some real evidence of game use before buying a bat. Whether you like heavy use or light use, uncracked or cracked bats, that's simply up to you. Unless the condition of a bat significantly detracts from the overall eye-appeal, it shouldn't take away from the value of the bat.

"I have a COA, doesn't that mean it's real?"

The last question on this list is one that is also very important. The term certificate of authenticity or "COA" is a word that is loosely tossed around the hobby. There is one rule that all collectors should live by and that rule is as follows: Anyone can create a COA; the person behind the COA is what matters.

There are only a few respected bat authenticators in the country so, unless your bat comes with team, player, or another form of solid documentation, I would suggest having one of them look at the bat. Even if you did purchase a bat from what appears to be a good source, you owe it to yourself to have an expert determine if your bat is real or not. There is one catch to the process. You need to make sure that auction houses, top dealers and advanced collectors alike, respect the bat authenticator you choose. If not, the COA you receive becomes as valuable as the paper it's written on.

Even if the dealer or authenticator appears to have lots of experience or great credentials, it doesn't really matter unless their word carries weight in the industry. If it doesn't, not only are you risking a bad purchase, you will also be stuck when it comes time to sell your bat. Do yourself a favor and make sure that you talk to an expert in the field.

That's the end of our look at the five most commonly asked questions when it comes to bat collecting. I hope this question and answer format proves to be a useful guide for those collectors interested in building a bat collection or for those who simply want to learn more about this aspect of the hobby. Bat collecting can prove to be a very fun and rewarding hobby, so good luck with your collection.

To view PSA/DNA's online game-used bat price guide, click here.

Yogi Berra game-used H&B 1960 All star bat.

Willie Mays game-used H&B bat from the 1960s.