As one of the greatest hitters in the game, Lou Gehrig was a hero the millions of young boys across the country. Besides being a role model to children, Lou’s work ethic and kindness combined with his skills with a bat made him a player whose peers in the major leagues admired and emulated. One way players attempted to duplicate Lou’s feats on the field was by using one of his professional model bats at the plate.

These pro model bats were called “pro stock” models and were produced by Spalding, Hillerich & Bradsby and Hanna and available for order by professional teams. These bats were then made available for any player to try out and use in batting practice or in a game. Pro stock bats of all the big stars – Ruth, Foxx, Simmons, DiMaggio, Gehrig - were available for teams to order. While many of these bats were made to the exact specifications as those sent to the named player, others were produced with slightly different weights and lengths.

This 1930-1935 era Hanna Batrite TA 776 model bat is a Gehrig model produced in a slightly lighter weight that the ones Lou usually ordered. These pro stock bats were different from a retail model in that it was finished to the exacting standards to those produced for professional players. This Gehrig model bat was used by a professional team and shows excellent use with a professionally repaired handle crack. The barrel is covered with ball marks and stitch impressions as well as cleat imprints. Measuring 36 inches in length, the weight is 30.3 ounces, less than the standard range of 35-37 ounces of the bats usually ordered by Gehrig. This bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (E36149/81633847)for the game use and has been graded a GU 5.

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