In the pre-war era, when a ballplayer wanted to order a new bat from the factory, often he would ship an old favorite that the factory would then make exact copies of. When received at the factory, the owner of the bat and date received was noted on the side of the bat in pencil. There are referred to as “side-written” bats and they serve as an impeccable provenance as to the player who used the bat. In this case, the bat is a Hillerich & Bradsby Luther Harvel signature model. However, as was often the case, another player has sent the bat to the factory to have copies made for himself – in this case Birdie Tebbetts. 

Tebbetts and Harvel crossed paths while in the Texas League in 1936 – Harvel with Dallas and Tebbetts with Beaumont. The bat’s side-written notation marks the bat as received October 19th, 1936. The bat is a pre-model Hillerich & Bradsby and displays excellent use with a handle crack repaired with clubhouse nails. Several ball marks with stitch impressions can be seen and there is some checking on the back barrel from repeated ball contact. A classic pre-war Louisville Slugger with an impeccable provenance that comes with a Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA (1B10203) who have graded this bat a GU 8.

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