This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 4/30/2009.
For a short period of time in the mid to late 1920s, like a gunslinger out of the Old West, Babe Ruth would mark his kill by carving a notch on his game bat after he blasted a pitch out of the park. While some people through the years have believed this to be an apocryphal tale befitting the Babe's legend, this item just might be baseball's answer to the Holy Grail. It's one of Ruth's bats used during 1926-29, a 4-season span when he averaged an amazing 51.75 home runs per season. While we don't know which of those 207 home runs were marked by a notch, it's possible some may be of the 60 shots he blasted over the wall in 1927, setting a record that stood for over half a century. Profound in any case is the fact that all the notches were part of Ruth's career total of 714, a number that has become imbedded in American history.
Any authentic Ruth bat is a collectors dream. With this bat, one can almost feel the ball exploding off it. This Hillerich and Bradsby bat has the labeling period 1926-29. It is a 36" in length and weighs today 36 3/4 oz. Both measurements correspond to bats ordered by Ruth during the referenced labeling period. This information has been extracted from Ruth’s Professional Bat Ordering Record on file at Louisville Slugger Inc. The bat has numerous ball marks with a handle crack. There is grain swelling about the barrel and several bat boy nails on the back. Underneath the center brand are 11 home run notches that have been determined to be original. The handle crack runs through the home run notches. The significance of this crack is vital to proving the home runs took place prior to it being cracked, retired by Ruth and subsequently returned to the factory for duplication. A close examination of the crack and notched area reveals that the crack runs cleanly through the notches. The crack line has no distortion whatsoever. The condition of one notch in particular provides additional evidence that the notches were on the bat when the crack occurred.
There is a planed area on the left barrel of the bat indicating the bat was returned to the manufacturer so that other bats of the same model could be ordered. This was common practice during the era. When received Henry Morrow, the pro player representative at then Hillerich & Bradsby Co. would plane a small area on the barrel and inscribe the date received, weight and player name. Faint portions of lettering can still be seen in the side-written area but the player name and other information is illegible. Additionally, faint images of factory notations can be seen on the handle of the bat. The initials "B.R." have been carved into the knob, most likely to identify the bat once it was placed into the racks after its return to Hillerich & Bradsby Inc. There are only four known documented examples of bats notched by Ruth, to log the number of home runs hit. One of which is on display at the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville, KY. It must be noted that the notches on all four of the known notched bats appear to have been made with the same tool. They are the same shape and size. It is believed Ruth used the edge of a file to engrave the bats. Another critical point to the authenticity of the bat is the location of the notches under the center brand matches another of the known and documented notched home run bats. That bat resides in a well-known collection and has 5 notches in the "7 o'clock" position under the center brand and 6 notches at the 2 o'clock position above the center brand. That bat also has factory side writing with Ruth's name visible in the side written area with a return date of 2-6-29. This important piece of baseball history is accompanied by a PSA/DNA Letter of Authenticity and has been graded GU9.