The first thing that gets your attention about this bat is the facsimile signature: “Momen Clemente”. Momen was the Hall of Famer’s nickname as a small boy in Puerto Rico where he was always lost in thought. Whenever he was called, the boy would lag behind, always calling out “momentito!” which means roughly “hold on a second”. Clemente had all his bats made up in this fashion until about 1961, when he switched to using his full name of Roberto Clemente. This particular bat can be dated earlier, all the way to Clemente’s rookie year. Through a small mark in the H&B center brand, this bat can be definitively traced to the 1955 season. The S2 model bat shows outstanding game use, while the handle has been cracked and professionally repaired, becoming almost undetectable. The barrel is covered with ball marks and stitch impressions, plus a light coat of pine tar is still evident on the handle. The model “S2” is stamped into the knob end and PSA/DNA sticker number D62970 and a partial MEARS sticker are affixed to the barrel end. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA who attest to this being the earliest Clemente bat they have graded. Their grade is an almost perfect GU 9.