Mickey Mantle Game Bat A9

[yanks12025]

Probably has more to deal with the letters being on the knob, which point the bat being used by someone else and not all by Mantle. Another reason is probably Mears aint regarded that high anymore in this hobby..

[Mark]

Originally Posted by yanks12025

Probably has more to deal with the letters being on the knob, which point the bat being used by someone else and not all by Mantle. Another reason is probably Mears aint regarded that high anymore in this hobby..

I also think that this is a big factor. If I understand it correctly, MEARS sold the bat originally at auction for 11K. Later, the bat sold at REA for 17K. It then sold at ebay for 12.7 K. These are all low for a MEARS 9 Mantle. Wouldn't PSA/DNA lower the number from a 9 to a 7 or 6 because of another player's initials appearing on the bat?

[rlevy]

Mantle Adirondack bats always bring less money than H&B bats. And clearly, having initials carved in the knob casts doubt on who really used this bat. You can say Mantle used it, then gave it to someone who carved their own initials in it, but collectors prefer not having "story" bats.

And the issue of having Mears ownership and grading is also a factor. There was a time when collectors sought out dealers like Dave Bushing for their opinions and willingly bought from them. But times have changed (with good reason), and collectors strongly prefer independent evaluations.

Rick

[Forever Young]

Originally Posted by rlevy

Mantle Adirondack bats always bring less money than H&B bats. And clearly, having initials carved in the knob casts doubt on who really used this bat. You can say Mantle used it, then gave it to someone who carved their own initials in it, but collectors prefer not having "story" bats.

And the issue of having Mears ownership and grading is also a factor. There was a time when collectors sought out dealers like Dave Bushing for their opinions and willingly bought from them. But times have changed (with good reason), and collectors strongly prefer independent evaluations.

Rick

This is an H & B bat

[rlevy]

Yikes, need more coffee.

[MVSNYC]

With no disrespect to the buyer…I suspect this is likely a Pro Stock bat, and people bid accordingly. I have learned, that for decades teams have ordered bats for their minor league affiliates. These pro stock bats were branded with a player name. If the Yankees, for example, ordered K55 models for the minor league teams the bats came with Mantle's name on the barrel. R43 models had Berra's name, D29's had DiMaggio. Most teams would do this.

Pro Stock bats are generally cut in even lengths 33, 34 35 inch etc. And, most noticeably, the wood is inferior to professional grade (you can tell by the grain). The fact that it has someone else's initials carved into the knob, and that it doesn't exhibit heavy "Mantle-type" use, further points to this being used by someone other than Mantle.

Regarding if Mantle game used bats are soft right now...They are not. Take a look at the prices in Heritage's current Platinum offering. Pretty robust.

[ruth-gehrig]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

With no disrespect to the buyer…I suspect this is likely a Pro Stock bat, and people bid accordingly. I have learned, that for decades teams have ordered bats for their minor league affiliates. These pro stock bats were branded with a player name. If the Yankees, for example, ordered K55 models for the minor league teams the bats came with Mantle's name on the barrel. R43 models had Berra's name, D29's had DiMaggio. Most teams would do this.

Pro Stock bats are generally cut in even lengths 33, 34 35 inch etc. And, most noticeably, the wood is inferior to professional grade (you can tell by the grain). The fact that it has someone else's initials carved into the knob, and that it doesn't exhibit heavy "Mantle-type" use, further points to this being used by someone other than Mantle.

Regarding if Mantle game used bats are soft right now...They are not. Take a look at the prices in Heritage's current Platinum offering. Pretty robust.

Good points but how do you explain that MEARS says this is from a documented order by Mantle in 1955?