October Legends Closing October 29
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/30/2016
When Sports Illustrated needed a cover photo for their premier issue in 1954, they looked for the athlete who was at the top of the sports world at that moment – and that man was Eddie Mathews. The Braves third baseman was in his third big league season and was dominating the National League.
The big kid from California not only had the most power anyone had seen since Babe Ruth, but he also delivered his blasts with what Ty Cobb considered one of the most perfect swings of all-time. In 1953 he was the league’s home run champion at 22 and then went on to nine consecutive seasons of 30 or more homers. On those great Milwaukee teams of the 1950’s, Mathews teamed up with Hank Aaron and became the most dangerous home run duo in the game’s history, out-homering Ruth and Gehrig 863 to 859. Mathews 511 career home runs and two home run crowns earned him a spot in Cooperstown in 1978.
This Adirondack bat, dating to 1952 to 1956 and determined by PSA/DNA to be one of the earliest Mathews gamers in the hobby, was used during his prime seasons when he was setting the National League afire and gracing the cover of the very first issue of Sports Illustrated. Mathews’ Adirondack 113A model bat is un-cracked and shows excellent use. Just as you would want to see on the bat of a power-hitting Hall of Famer, several ball marks with their stitch impressions can be seen on its barrel. A moderate coat of pine tar still clings to its handle and the model number 113A is stamped into the knob end. Black and green paint streaks from the bat racks in long-gone ballparks like Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds can be found on the barrel. The stamping on the bat is almost flawless – a rarity because Adirondacks of this age tend to exhibit excessive chipping to the lettering. To top off this unparalleled Mathews gamer, the Hall of Famer has signed the barrel in blue marker and then added “HOF 78, 512 HR’s” at a different time in black marker. The perfect amount of game use, near flawless condition of the stamping and inscribed signature combine to make this bat a museum-quality piece. This bat comes with a letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA (C86023) who have given this early Mathews bat a near-perfect grade of “GU 9” and LOA from PSA/DNA (AA07664) for his signature.