Honus Wagner was far and away the best shortstop of the deadball era. A surprisingly adept hitter and lithe fielder despite his awkward frame, Wagner slapped, poked, and pulled his way to eight National League batting titles. Wagner always played at full-tilt, consistently turning singles into doubles and losses into wins for his Pittsburgh Pirates. When Wagner retired in 1917, he was at or near the top of almost every National League statistical category. A truly transcendent player, Wagner was honored with induction in the very first class of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

     This bat, which measures 22 inches long, is in nearly immaculate condition. The bat is burned with a Hillerich and Bradsby logo where the barrel and handle meet. A six inch decal bearing the likeness of Wagner and the text “Uses Exclusively the Louisville Slugger Bats” above Wagner’s “J. Hans Wagner” facsimile signature dominates the barrel of the bat. The decal is in pristine condition and is almost entirely intact. This bat likely originated in the 1910s as a salesman’s sample for a traveling Louisville Slugger representative. Instead of lugging around hefty bats, some of which weighed as much as 48 ounces, the roaming peddler would show the 22” bats to interested customers. This is an incredible piece of baseball history from one of the game’s most mythic players!

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