JULY 19TH AUCTION
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/20/2013
In 1915 Ty Cobb was having another stellar season, well on his way to winning his 9th consecutive batting championship with a .369 average and stealing a career best (and then record) 96 stolen bases. This Ty Cobb professional game model Louisville Slugger bat measures 34 inches and weighs 38 oz and shows good game use. This 40K signature model bat features H&B’s “dash-dot-dash” center brand and adjacent patented Kork Grip stamping. With a patent date of 1914 on the barrel, in addition to photographic evidence and a comparison to like Cobb bats that have entered the hobby, MEARS confidently states that Ty Cobb did indeed use the 40K Kork Grip during the 1914-16 era. In fact, in the December 1913 issue of the Sporting News they make mention of the fact that "the Detroit star has evolved a cork handle for the bat". Essentially giving credit to Ty Cobb for this invention. The bat exhibits signs of heavy game use including deeply embedded ball marks, stitch marks and cleat marks. The bat matches factory records. The handle shows evidence of a crisscross handle tape pattern, a distinctive Cobb trademark, having been removed. A crack to the handle has been professionally repaired. Comes with a detailed LOA from MEARS grading the bat an A-7.