Winter Auction 2018 Ending February 17
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/18/2018
Countless gallons of journalistic ink have been expended over the years in tribute to St. Louis Cardinals' revered "Stan the Man," and all of those accolades have been richly deserved. Stan Musial was a hero to an entire geographic region in the early days of his career, when the city of St. Louis harbored America's western-most Major League Baseball franchise. The three-time World Series Champion excelled as a star ballplayer, and he was equally beloved as a human being. Always humble and gracious to fans and opponents alike, Musial was also respected for a lifetime of loyalty to a single team. Among the many symbols of recognition bestowed upon Musial in later years were first-ballot induction to Cooperstown in 1969 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010.
Musial broke into the Majors during the latter part of the 1941 season, appearing in just 12 games. However, in 1942, Musial emerged as one of the top players in the National League as he finished his rookie season with a .315 average. Musial’s second full season saw the legend take his game to another level as the sweet-swinging lefty won the National League MVP for the first of three times in his Hall of Fame career, a legendary career that spanned 22 seasons.
Presented here is an extremely rare rookie era Louisville Slugger signature model bat used by Musial, not only during his rookie season, but his first MVP season as well. This museum worthy bat displays heavy use and has only a small crack on the handle that has been professionally repaired. The barrel has numerous ball marks and there is checking or grain swelling on the back barrel from repeated ball contact. This ash bat has taken on a lovely golden tone and Stan The Man has signed his name in black marker on the barrel. Musial’s signature is light, especially in his first name, but is still readable. This game used Stan Musial bat from his early career comes with a full LOA from PSA/DNA (1B15210) and has been graded a solid GU 8. There is also a COA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication (C99690) for Musial’s signature.