Question about bat w/ smoke damage
 

I recently purchased a Mookie Wilson bat w/ a PSA LOA according to the certificate it has "smoke damage" on the handle. Does anyone have this type of damage on a bat in their collection? did this smoke damage happen when the player had the bat in his possession? I am slightly confused w/ this imperfection. The auction house said the bat came w/ a psa loa but didn't mention the smoke damage (really pisses me off). However, I really don't notice any smoke damage. I assumed the black was pine tar, bat rack marks, etc. Thanks for your thoughts?

Seems like an odd disclaimer. I bet you could submit it to Mears, and there would be no mention of this "smoke damage.

I remember a few years ago that a vey large game-used bat collection was rescued from a house fire. I believe many of the bats were ruined, but that some also survived. Perhaps this is one of those, and PSA knew ahead of time that it was part of that particular collection. I have seen a few of these bats up for auction with far more severe smoke damage than this Mookie Wilson. Some of them were almost completely blackened.

The odd thing about yours, is that it's limited to the handle. How might that happen? It really looks more like a light pine tar application. Again... you may consider re-submitting to PSA or give Mears a try, as this perceived "flaw" seems quite minor and even trivial.

I would assume that since the auction house failed to disclose this smoke damage, you could lobby for a refund/return. Since it's described in the PSA Letter, this is something that should have been mentioned in their description.

Hope this helps...

Thanks
 

Thanks for the information. I never knew a collector had a huge collection that went up in smoke. You are probably right this bat came from his estate and PSA knew it therefore listed smoke damage. Also, I agree w/ you that there really doesn't seem to be an significant damage and if I wanted to submit it to MEARS on my own, it probably wouldn't list this imperfection. Even though I wish the auction co. had disclosed this information. just be honest and up front. Anyway, I'll hold on this bat b/c Mookie is on of those lovable Mets.