Winter 2014 Auction Closing Feb 7
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/8/2014
World Series Black Bats were first produced in 1934, and for the first few years were brown in color before changing to the standard black. These bats were presented to players of the teams, team executives and various other important front office members. Offered is the very first New York Yankees World Series brown bat ever issued. The 1936 World Champion New York Yankees were a juggernaut, running roughshod over the American League (they won the pennant by 19.5 games!) led by Lou Gehrig and a rookie named Joe DiMaggio. This 35-inch bat is emblazoned "WORLD CHAMPIONS 1936" on the barrel, and surrounded by the gilt-stamped facsimile signatures of twenty team members including Gehrig, DiMaggio, McCarthy, Gomez, Lazzeri, Ruffing, Combs, and Dickey. The length "35" is engraved on the knob. These team bats were always produced in limited quantities, and were never sold to the public, accounting for their extreme scarcity. The early Pre War bats are presumed to be even more scarce. Some areas of the gold stampings are worn, but the full names of all the keys are readily legible, including Gehrig's just to the left of the label. This bat has light chipping at the barrel end, with a few scratches, technically grades excellent. This is a tremendous example of what is the first, and most desirable of all New York Yankees brown bats, issued during Joe DiMaggio's rookie season.