One of the best and earliest Ty Cobb bats known to still exist is coming to auction.
The 1910-1915 era Louisville Slugger made for Cobb during his unprecedented run of nine consecutive American League batting titles will be among the featured items in Heritage Auctions’ Winter Platinum Night event in February.
Rated PSA/DNA GU 9.5, the bat is “one of the most important” Cobb game bats known, according to Heritage. Most of the small number of game model Cobb bats known to exist today date to later in his career. Cobb hit over .400 twice during the period in which the bat was used.
It’s the second time the bat has come up for sale this year. It was recently purchased for $325,000 by a private collector in a transaction facilitated by Mile High Card Company.
The bat weighs 38 ounces and is 34 ½ inches long. The center brand carries two “dash-dot-dash” symbols appearing below “Louisville Slugger” and markings on the knob to show that it was hand spun, confirming it as an authentic Cobb game model bat.
The location of the engraved Cobb signature also dates the bat to the early years of his career as it would be moved further up the barrel on Cobb bats later that decade. With the company changing that center stamp from “J. F. Hillerich & Son” to “Hillerich & Bradsby’ in 1916, the time period of the bat is also confirmed as an early career example.
There are cleat marks on the barrel and grip tape residue on the handle, which also features a small, repaired crack. There is a chip on the handle.
Bidding in the auction is expected to open in late January and close about three weeks later.
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