It’s one of baseball’s saddest images - the once great Shoeless Joe Jackson, forbidden to play the game he loved, condemned to a purgatory of semi-pro one night stands under assumed names. Because of his role in the Black Sox scandal that almost destroyed professional baseball, Jackson spent the next decade and a half after his 1920 banishment roaming the country with his famous “Black Betsy” bat in tow, playing for whatever team would pay his price. As a slugger for hire, Joe Jackson needed a selection of bats able to handle his flawless swing, a professional model made to his exact specifications.

     That’s how this 1930’s Joe Jackson professional model bat came to be. This bat is a 125J model, identified by its unique center brand. This bat was not a store model, but a professional model based on Jackson’s old J13 professional model, made for the slugger in the years prior to his banishment. Of note is the block letter “JACKSON” stamped into the barrel. The bat experts at MEARS have speculated that the Louisville company dropped the “JOE” in order to keep in Major League Baseball’s good graces in the aftermath of the Black Sox scandal. So, like their owner, Joe Jackson’s bats also had to keep a low profile.

     This Hillerich & Bradsby bat shows heavy use with a 6 inch crack in its handle. The barrel shows heavy game use with many ball marks with stitch impressions along with cleat imprints. The barrel exhibits some checking from repeated ball contact and there are several nails in the handle to secure the crack. The bat has been given Jackson’s traditional “Black Betsy” finish, with its characteristic handle fade. The bat is 35 inches in length and weighs 33 ounces. The length matches known Jackson bats from his pre-1920 professional days, while the 33 ounces is lighter than the bats he used while a big leaguer. The lighter weight may be attributed his Jackson’s advancing age (and waistline) in 1933-34, who at that time would have been in his mid-40’s. Of course, any Joe Jackson bat is something to be treasured. His undeniable talent coupled with his unfortunate demise makes any relic from his career extremely desirable. This is a unique opportunity to own one of his famous “Black Betsy’s”, used by the fallen star in the years when he was trying his best to continue playing the game he loved, and ultimately disgraced. This bat comes with a full A7 LOA from MEARS (312991) for the game use.