Winter Auction 2016 Closing January 30th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/31/2016
The 1920's were a decade that saw guys like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig dominate the American League's batting leader board. Yet Detroit's Harry Heilmann was able to sneak in and claim no less than four batting crowns for himself. What's more, he won those crowns in a consistent every-other-year pattern: 1921, 1923, 1925 and 1927. Heilmann and Ted Williams were the last two American Leaguers to hit over the .400 mark and when he hung up his spikes in 1932, his career average was frozen at a lofty .342 - number 12 on the all-time list. The numbers Heilmann posted throughout his career made him a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame and Cooperstown hung up his plaque in 1952. This Hillerich & Bradsby bat dates from 1924-1928, Heilmann's prime years during which he won a pair of batting crowns and hit a classy .366. The Hillerich & Bradsby pre-model number bat weights 35 oz and is 35 inches in length. The handle has been cracked and restored and its barrel displays outstanding use with many ball marks. As would be expected from the four-time AL batting champ, the bat's barrel exhibits checking from repeated ball contact and a small sliver of wood is missing from the back barrel. The knob end has a small chip in it from contact with the ground. As was customary back in Heilmann's day, the bat's surface has been honed into a hard, smooth surface that has taken on a rich dark patina through the decades. A great piece of lumber from one of baseball's greatest hitters. Letter of Authenticity (B19682) from PSA/DNA.