Even during the worst of times, and there were many of them during the 1950s and 1960s in Wrigley Field, Ernie Banks gave the Cubs faithful something to cheer about. From his debut in 1953, the Cubs shortstop’s sunny disposition and rosy outlook on life warmed the hearts of Chicago fans and his booming bat made it seem as if the elusive pennant was just a swing away.

Banks was the first player in National League history to win back-to-back MVP Awards in 1958-59 and led the league in homers in 1958 and 60. He made the All-Star team 14 times and finished his career with 512 home runs. In 1969 the Chicago Sun-Times asked fans to vote for the greatest Cub of all-time and Ernie Banks won, edging out such legends as Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, Hack Wilson and the immortal double-play combo of Tinkers to Evers to Chance. In the entire storied history of the ballclub, Ernie Banks is the only one man to be bestowed with the title “Mr. Cub.”

Banks used this bat during the 1965 to 1968 seasons in which he clubbed 98 home runs and won the Lou Gehrig Award. This Hillerich & Bradsby S2 model bat is un-cracked and shows outstanding use. Numerous ball marks with stitch impressions can be found on all sides of the barrel. Cleat imprints are visible on the right and back barrel and the ends show scuffs and abrasions from contact with the ground. The model number “S2” is stamped into the knob and the weight “31” is handwritten in pencil. Mr. Cub’s iconic number “14” in black marker is also present on the knob. This bat comes from the collection of Cincinnati Reds clubhouse manager Bernie Stowe. The bat also comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B13793) for the game use and has been graded a perfect GU 10.

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