Pee Wee Reese was the one player who bridged the gap between the Leo Durocher’s tough Bums of the 1940s and the “Boys of Summer” of the 1950s. It was Pee Wee Reese who not only helped forge the Dodgers into a National League powerhouse, but his leadership as team captain during the 1947 debut of Jackie Robinson made the National Pastime truly a game for everyone. Reese was the Dodgers man at shortstop for seven Brooklyn pennants, but only once did the team manage to win the ultimate prize: 1955. That season the 36-year-old Reese batted .282, and then raised it to .296 in the 7-game victory over the Yankees.

This bat was obtained after one of the 1955 World Series games at Ebbets Field. The original owner, who was a life-long Dodgers fan from Brooklyn, was employed by the firm that did the maintenance work at Ebbets Field. As one of the perks of his job, the original owner was given season tickets to the Dodgers each year. In no season was this enviable perk more valuable than 1955 when the Dodgers won the World Series. After one of the games the original owner was near the Dodgers’ dugout when he spied a pair of discarded bats. He inquired about them and was told he could take them. One was this Reese bat and the other a Jackie Robinson (also available in this auction) and the pair were proudly displayed in the original owner’s Long Island home until 2014.

This bat (and the Robinson) are now offered by the original owner’s son. Fresh to the hobby and never auctioned before, this bat is a direct link to the greatest moment in Brooklyn Dodgers history. The Hillerich & Bradsby R46 model bat is un-cracked and shows evidence of outstanding use. Slight checking from repeated ball contact is found on the back barrel and numerous ball marks can be seen on all sides. Cleat imprints are located on the top left barrel and the remnants of two tape rings are found on the handle. The model number “R46” is stamped into the knob and the faint remains of a player number or notation in black paint can be seen on the knob end. The bat presently weighs 29.2 ounces which according to Reese’s bat records at the Louisville Slugger Museum puts this bat more in-line with the ones ordered in the 1956-1958 period. Reese commonly ordered heavier bats in the range of 32 ounces up to that period, though PSA/DNA has opined it is entirely possible for this bat to lose the 2+ ounce difference due to the bat’s age, storage and drying over the past seven decades. As Reese was the captain of the only Brooklyn team to win a World Championship, we cannot stress the historical significance of this bat and its provenance for use in the 1955 World Series. The bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B16922) for the game use and has been graded a solid GU 8.5. The consignors account of the acquisition on the bat clearly places the bat to have been acquired during the 1955 World Series, and the fact these bats were discarded at that time after a game would logically place them to have been used in the game they were acquired after. PSA/DNA’s evaluation of the dating and use matched the consignors account. Both the consignor LOA and the PSA/DNA LOA are located on our website and should be reviewed by perspective bidders.