Throughout the 1950s, Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers was THE best backstop in the National League. “Campy” had spent the first decade of his career toiling in the Negro Leagues, so by the time he finally made it to the Majors in 1948 he was a seasoned veteran. He won the National League MVP Award in 1949, 1951 and 1953, and led his Dodgers to five pennants and a World Championship before he was tragically paralyzed in an automobile accident in 1957. “Campy” was also wildly popular with the fans, case-in-point is his being picked for the All-Star team every year from 1949 to 1956. Along with the honor of being chosen to represent his league at the mid-summer classic, each All-Star was presented with a custom Hillerich & Bradsby bat carrying the special All-Star Game stamping on its barrel.

     This tremendously rare bat was presented to Campanella for use in the 1952 game held in Philadelphia. The G80 model bat is un-cracked and shows light use. A few ball marks are visible on the left barrel, and light coat of pine tar is on its handle. The model number “G80” is stamped into the knob. According to Campanella’s order records in the Louisville Slugger archive, the Dodgers catcher used the G80 model exclusively during 1952, ordered in lengths of 35 and 35.5” and weights of 33 to 35 ounces. This bat is 35.5” and 33.7 ounces, matching exactly the bats ordered during the 1952 season. This is an exceedingly rare bat custom made for Campy’s 1952 All-Star Game appearance. The bat comes with a full LOA from PSA/DNA (1B06779) for the game use and has been graded a solid GU 9.

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