November Catalog Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/18/2012
When baseball needed a hero in 1995, Cal Ripken Jr was there to 'save the game' with his performance, demeanor, and grace as he approached and finally passed Lou Gehrig's all time consecutive game streak. When the Orioles needed a new superstar in 1981, they had one waiting in the wings in Rochester, NY. This is Cal's game used bat from the 1981 season. Cal debuted with them on August 10th, 1981. Cal was shipped 6 bats on 3/19/81...this is one of those bats. Comes with FULL LOA from PSA/DNA Taube, and MEARS. Bat is 35 inches in length, 34.4 oz, made of Ash with a Hickory finish. "Louisville Slugger model M159 Cal Ripken jr professional model shows evidence of tremendous use with a crack in the upper handle. Multiple ball marks and ball stitch impressions are visible on the left, right, and back barrel. Also visible on the bat are heavy cleat marks and many bat rack streaks. There is a heavy coat of pine tar on the mid handle. Ripken's #5 is on the knob in faded black marker. The upper handle is spiral taped securing the crack. After a thorough examination of this Cal Ripken jr. professional model bat, and its player use characteristics, it is our opinion the bat is authentic, and was game used by Ripken during the referenced labeling period. The bat exhibits heavy use and possesses identifiable player use characteristics. We have assigned the bat a PSA grade of GU8." MEARS LOA grades the bat an 8.5, after deducting 1 point for the crack. A true one of a kind treasure from the very beginning of the Cal Ripken jr legend.