Cracks, Grain and Pine Tar (Part 2)
Joe Orlando -
"How rare are game-used bats?"
The short answer to this question is that it depends on the bat as you might imagine, but generally speaking, bats are far scarcer than most baseball cards are. There's no comparison. Here are a few examples.
Take the famous 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner card. That card is known as one of the greatest rarities in the hobby and the famous PSA NM-MT 8 just sold for $1,265,000 at auction. Now that card is truly incredible and in very high demand partly due to the fact most experts believe that there are fewer than 50 known copies of the card. On the other hand, did you know that most experts believe that there are only 5 Honus Wagner game-used bats in existence? Now, that is rare.
Here's another illustration of how rare bats can be. Usually, when a company produces a limited edition card or autographed product, they will limit the item anywhere from 100 to 500 items. A number within that range is considered very rare, and when you consider that 500 limited edition items equals 10 per state, that really puts the rarity into focus. Did you know that, on average, Mickey Mantle only received about 20-25 bats per year for game use? That's for the entire year! If I told you that there was going to be an Alex Rodriguez card produced this year with only 20-25 made, collectors would go into a frenzy trying to get one.
To further the Mantle example, remember that the 20-25 number is merely the number of bats that Mantle actually received, it's not how many survived. Before baseball memorabilia sales became such a booming business in the late 1980's and early 1990's, no one realized the value of keeping game-used bats. The amount of bats that survived is the key.
As recently as 15 years ago, most bats were discarded after they were cracked during a game or after the season was over. Imagine what it was like 25-50 years ago! Most people are familiar with the term "firewood" and that's exactly what became of vintage game-used bats. If the bat wasn't fit for game use, it had no purpose. Bats were not worth much as a collectible back then, so very few people ever thought of saving them.
During an interview with Bill Morrow, the son of former H&B (now known as Louisville Slugger) bat company representative Henry Morrow, he told me that his parents had a basement filled with bats that players had given his dad over the years. When the pile grew too large, his parents literally threw the bats into the fire or into the garbage. There was just no reason too keep such a huge mass of baseball bats at that time. Just hearing that story makes me ill thinking about what treasures were lost, but Bill Morrow has a good sense of humor about the whole thing. Most of us can look back and realize we should have kept one thing or another, but who knew? Who knew that baseball memorabilia would become what it is today?
Bill's story helps illustrate how truly rare game-used bats are. Here's a gentleman, Henry Morrow, who had more access to players and their bats than anyone in the country and even he discarded the lumber he was able to acquire. If that story doesn't tell you about bat rarity, I don't know what will. Even when it comes to modern bats, the numbers may be significantly higher in comparison to vintage bats, but the rarity, in comparison to cards, is still much greater. In many cases, the number of game-used bats that have survived through the years is very, very low.
"Does condition affect the value of a game-used bat?"
For those of you who have only collected sportscards until now, this concept may be hard to comprehend. Yes, condition can affect the value of a bat, but condition takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to game-used bats.
Game-used bats are supposed to have wear, hence the term game-used. If the bat was in mint condition, that means it is not game-used and the player never prepped the bat for game action, never brought the bat to the plate with him and never hit a baseball with it. Much of the value, when it comes to game-used items, turns on the amount of use. Collectors need to understand that when it comes to buying game-used bats or any other game-used item, you want to see some showing of legitimate wear. If no wear is present, the value can be diminished significantly.
In my opinion, more use equals more value. Why? If the point of owning a piece of game-used memorabilia is to own a real piece of history or something that is directly connected to a player and his accomplishments, wouldn't more use indicate that the bat was in the player's hands for a longer period of time? Furthermore, if there is more use, wouldn't that indicate that there is a greater chance that the player collected more hits with that bat? It seems logical to me, but who said logic had anything to do with this hobby.
Not all collectors feel this way. In fact, many collectors prefer bats with lighter use in hopes that the bat makes for a better display piece. Those collectors cringe at cracks and shudder at pine tar, not me. When I look for a nice bat, I want to see at least a solid showing of game action. If not, the player barely touched it and the bat becomes a mere game-issued bat instead. Game-issued bats are nice, but they don't have the same appeal or historical importance that a real game-used bats have. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Now, if a bat has a condition defect that significantly takes away from the eye-appeal of the bat, that defect will detract from the value. There's no question about it. For instance, if an enormous piece was missing from bat where the player's name is supposed to be or if the bat is warped or stained by something other than pine tar or natural soiling from use, that would drop the value of the bat. The same could be said for a severe crack that has not been repaired correctly. The bottom line is that the person buying the bat determines what he or she likes when it comes to visual appeal, but as long as the defect isn't too disturbing to the overall appeal, it shouldn't be a major factor.
The issue of whether a crack affects the value is another hot topic. As stated above, cracks should not take away from the value of a bat as long as the crack does not severely impair the overall look of the piece. When hitters gets jammed, bats crack. When hitters catch one near the end of the bat, bats crack. When hitters connect with a fastball near the center label, bats crack. It's part of the game and is evidence of true game use. There is no hard rule one way or the other. Some people like cracked bats and others like uncracked bats. It's a matter of taste.
In summary, I would suggest that you should make sure there is some real evidence of game use before buying a bat. Whether you like heavy use or light use, uncracked or cracked bats, that's simply up to you. Unless the condition of a bat significantly detracts from the overall eye-appeal, it shouldn't take away from the value of the bat.
"I have a COA, doesn't that mean it's real?"
The last question on this list is one that is also very important. The term certificate of authenticity or "COA" is a word that is loosely tossed around the hobby. There is one rule that all collectors should live by and that rule is as follows: Anyone can create a COA; the person behind the COA is what matters.
There are only a few respected bat authenticators in the country so, unless your bat comes with team, player, or another form of solid documentation, I would suggest having one of them look at the bat. Even if you did purchase a bat from what appears to be a good source, you owe it to yourself to have an expert determine if your bat is real or not. There is one catch to the process. You need to make sure that auction houses, top dealers and advanced collectors alike, respect the bat authenticator you choose. If not, the COA you receive becomes as valuable as the paper it's written on.
Even if the dealer or authenticator appears to have lots of experience or great credentials, it doesn't really matter unless their word carries weight in the industry. If it doesn't, not only are you risking a bad purchase, you will also be stuck when it comes time to sell your bat. Do yourself a favor and make sure that you talk to an expert in the field.
That's the end of our look at the five most commonly asked questions when it comes to bat collecting. I hope this question and answer format proves to be a useful guide for those collectors interested in building a bat collection or for those who simply want to learn more about this aspect of the hobby. Bat collecting can prove to be a very fun and rewarding hobby, so good luck with your collection.
"How rare are game-used bats?"
The short answer to this question is that it depends on the bat as you might imagine, but generally speaking, bats are far scarcer than most baseball cards are. There's no comparison. Here are a few examples.
Take the famous 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner card. That card is known as one of the greatest rarities in the hobby and the famous PSA NM-MT 8 just sold for $1,265,000 at auction. Now that card is truly incredible and in very high demand partly due to the fact most experts believe that there are fewer than 50 known copies of the card. On the other hand, did you know that most experts believe that there are only 5 Honus Wagner game-used bats in existence? Now, that is rare.
Here's another illustration of how rare bats can be. Usually, when a company produces a limited edition card or autographed product, they will limit the item anywhere from 100 to 500 items. A number within that range is considered very rare, and when you consider that 500 limited edition items equals 10 per state, that really puts the rarity into focus. Did you know that, on average, Mickey Mantle only received about 20-25 bats per year for game use? That's for the entire year! If I told you that there was going to be an Alex Rodriguez card produced this year with only 20-25 made, collectors would go into a frenzy trying to get one.
To further the Mantle example, remember that the 20-25 number is merely the number of bats that Mantle actually received, it's not how many survived. Before baseball memorabilia sales became such a booming business in the late 1980's and early 1990's, no one realized the value of keeping game-used bats. The amount of bats that survived is the key.
As recently as 15 years ago, most bats were discarded after they were cracked during a game or after the season was over. Imagine what it was like 25-50 years ago! Most people are familiar with the term "firewood" and that's exactly what became of vintage game-used bats. If the bat wasn't fit for game use, it had no purpose. Bats were not worth much as a collectible back then, so very few people ever thought of saving them.
During an interview with Bill Morrow, the son of former H&B (now known as Louisville Slugger) bat company representative Henry Morrow, he told me that his parents had a basement filled with bats that players had given his dad over the years. When the pile grew too large, his parents literally threw the bats into the fire or into the garbage. There was just no reason too keep such a huge mass of baseball bats at that time. Just hearing that story makes me ill thinking about what treasures were lost, but Bill Morrow has a good sense of humor about the whole thing. Most of us can look back and realize we should have kept one thing or another, but who knew? Who knew that baseball memorabilia would become what it is today?
Bill's story helps illustrate how truly rare game-used bats are. Here's a gentleman, Henry Morrow, who had more access to players and their bats than anyone in the country and even he discarded the lumber he was able to acquire. If that story doesn't tell you about bat rarity, I don't know what will. Even when it comes to modern bats, the numbers may be significantly higher in comparison to vintage bats, but the rarity, in comparison to cards, is still much greater. In many cases, the number of game-used bats that have survived through the years is very, very low.
"Does condition affect the value of a game-used bat?"
For those of you who have only collected sportscards until now, this concept may be hard to comprehend. Yes, condition can affect the value of a bat, but condition takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to game-used bats.
Game-used bats are supposed to have wear, hence the term game-used. If the bat was in mint condition, that means it is not game-used and the player never prepped the bat for game action, never brought the bat to the plate with him and never hit a baseball with it. Much of the value, when it comes to game-used items, turns on the amount of use. Collectors need to understand that when it comes to buying game-used bats or any other game-used item, you want to see some showing of legitimate wear. If no wear is present, the value can be diminished significantly.
In my opinion, more use equals more value. Why? If the point of owning a piece of game-used memorabilia is to own a real piece of history or something that is directly connected to a player and his accomplishments, wouldn't more use indicate that the bat was in the player's hands for a longer period of time? Furthermore, if there is more use, wouldn't that indicate that there is a greater chance that the player collected more hits with that bat? It seems logical to me, but who said logic had anything to do with this hobby.
Not all collectors feel this way. In fact, many collectors prefer bats with lighter use in hopes that the bat makes for a better display piece. Those collectors cringe at cracks and shudder at pine tar, not me. When I look for a nice bat, I want to see at least a solid showing of game action. If not, the player barely touched it and the bat becomes a mere game-issued bat instead. Game-issued bats are nice, but they don't have the same appeal or historical importance that a real game-used bats have. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Now, if a bat has a condition defect that significantly takes away from the eye-appeal of the bat, that defect will detract from the value. There's no question about it. For instance, if an enormous piece was missing from bat where the player's name is supposed to be or if the bat is warped or stained by something other than pine tar or natural soiling from use, that would drop the value of the bat. The same could be said for a severe crack that has not been repaired correctly. The bottom line is that the person buying the bat determines what he or she likes when it comes to visual appeal, but as long as the defect isn't too disturbing to the overall appeal, it shouldn't be a major factor.
The issue of whether a crack affects the value is another hot topic. As stated above, cracks should not take away from the value of a bat as long as the crack does not severely impair the overall look of the piece. When hitters gets jammed, bats crack. When hitters catch one near the end of the bat, bats crack. When hitters connect with a fastball near the center label, bats crack. It's part of the game and is evidence of true game use. There is no hard rule one way or the other. Some people like cracked bats and others like uncracked bats. It's a matter of taste.
In summary, I would suggest that you should make sure there is some real evidence of game use before buying a bat. Whether you like heavy use or light use, uncracked or cracked bats, that's simply up to you. Unless the condition of a bat significantly detracts from the overall eye-appeal, it shouldn't take away from the value of the bat.
"I have a COA, doesn't that mean it's real?"
The last question on this list is one that is also very important. The term certificate of authenticity or "COA" is a word that is loosely tossed around the hobby. There is one rule that all collectors should live by and that rule is as follows: Anyone can create a COA; the person behind the COA is what matters.
There are only a few respected bat authenticators in the country so, unless your bat comes with team, player, or another form of solid documentation, I would suggest having one of them look at the bat. Even if you did purchase a bat from what appears to be a good source, you owe it to yourself to have an expert determine if your bat is real or not. There is one catch to the process. You need to make sure that auction houses, top dealers and advanced collectors alike, respect the bat authenticator you choose. If not, the COA you receive becomes as valuable as the paper it's written on.
Even if the dealer or authenticator appears to have lots of experience or great credentials, it doesn't really matter unless their word carries weight in the industry. If it doesn't, not only are you risking a bad purchase, you will also be stuck when it comes time to sell your bat. Do yourself a favor and make sure that you talk to an expert in the field.
That's the end of our look at the five most commonly asked questions when it comes to bat collecting. I hope this question and answer format proves to be a useful guide for those collectors interested in building a bat collection or for those who simply want to learn more about this aspect of the hobby. Bat collecting can prove to be a very fun and rewarding hobby, so good luck with your collection.
posted by Authentic1 at 5:18 AM
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