Winter Auction 2018 Ending February 17
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/18/2018
Although he retired at the end of the 1954 season, when the spring of 1955 rolled around, Ted Williams knew he had to get back in the game. After missing the first month, Williams tore through the American League at a .356 clip. In this “second phase” of his Hall of Fame career, Williams added two batting crowns to the four he already had and made the all-star team every year until he finally called it a career in 1960.
In the last five seasons of his career to which this offered Hillerich & Bradsby bat dates to, Williams would average 25 home runs with a .333 batting average, all while in his late 30’s and early 40’s. Williams would also add two batting crowns to his illustrious career as he hit to a .388 average in 1957 and .328 clip in 1958. Williams would also finish second in the MVP race in 1957, losing out to fellow Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle of the Yankees.
This Hillerich & Bradsby W183 model bat dates from Williams’ retirement comeback era and the last five seasons of the Hall of Famer’s career (1956-1960). The bat shows excellent use and is un-cracked. There are several ball marks that are visible on the right, left and back barrel. This bat also displays several prominent ball marks with stitch impressions and there are green bat rack paint streaks in evidence. The handle has a light coating of pine tar along with being scored to enhance the grip. The model number “W183” is stamped into the knob and along with Williams’ number “9”, which has been hand written in faded black marker. The game experts at Mears have narrowed the use of this bat to the 1959-60 era “due to Ted Williams’s specific requests that are documented in the H&B factory records.” Williams has added is signature, which appears on the barrel lightly in blue pen, with the inscription “To Ed Best Wishes”. This bat comes with full game use authentication in the forms of LOAs from PSA/DNA (1B15202), who graded this bat a near-perfect GU 9 and a LOA from Mears, who have graded this bat an exemplary A9.5. There is also a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication (A87195) for his signature.