Let’s start a game used bat thread.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Scott Janzen

Thanks Ben and Sean; I'll get a copy of the Slugger book. I pretty much figured it was a store model but for $1 + shipping it still is cool. So what are store models tied to players worth? or is that in the book?

The book gives you a lot of information on how to ID Louisville Slugger bats. It also has the ordering records of some big name players. There is no pricing guide in it at all.

Pricing is a PIA to figure out because there are so many different types of bats. I still harass the guy(Hi Sean) that got me into bat collecting with questions. I mainly used completed eBay listings for a price guide. Over the last 2 years I have made my own guide for the different bat types of the one player I collect.

[Mark]

Bat collecting is a fantastic hobby. In some ways, there used to be more info available. SCD often ran columns on bat collecting, and the MEARS website had lots of interesting essays by Dave Bushing, Troy Kinunen, and Dave Grob on a variety of bat makers. MEARS also made all of its LOA available to subscribers, so you could do a lot of research if you wanted to hunt it down. Now, most of that is gone. On the other hand, we seem to have made a number of important discoveries about collecting pro model bats, and most of what is most useful to know is availble in the archives here. As for a list of current prices, this is a start:


http://https://www.psacard.com/smrpriceguide/game-used-bat-values/8

[Scott Janzen]

ok, so since may of you here have great bat collections, do you buy them and if so where? Do you only trust your local dealer or shop on-line at dealers, reputable auction houses or snatch them up on Ebay? Finally, do you pay near the graders values, or try to nab them for pennies on the dollar. I don't want this to break my bank. Case in point: a current Ebay listing has a game used Mel Ott bat from the 1940's. There seems to be some letter of authenticity that comes with it. PSA value for that bat is listed at $37,500; the bidding on Ebay starts at $499....can you see why I'm confused and a bit overwhelmed?

Do you look for authenticated gamers or don't care about the authentication hassles? The PSA site has whetted my appetite, but they remain vague as to specific identification characteristics. Especially how do you thr to "date" a bat? Is that where the book id's them?

Thanks again from Curious in Colorado

[JoeDfan]

Like card collecting, rule number 1 is:
If it looks too good to be true, that is because it is!

A general rule of thumb that I use, and this doesn't always apply: If the bat has the inches marked on the knob, I generally consider it a retail bat; unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary.

Also, do not confuse signed bats, which might have a PSA or JSA sticker on them, with game used bats, which might have a PSA or Mears sticker on them.

If you want to collect bats, I suggest get the book, and then start small, with a few "known" bats that have PSA or Mears letters with them. Louisville Sluggers are a great way to start out, because the books will help you ID the gamers pretty quick.
There are also a couple of other great books on bats that are must haves.

If you like it, after a while, you will start taking chances on a few more of the bigger fish.

One thing that I watch out for is that I can totally talk myself into believing any bat is a gamer; so I often get an objective opinion if I can before doing anything crazy.

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by JoeDfan

Like card collecting, rule number 1 is:
If it looks too good to be true, that is because it is!

A general rule of thumb that I use, and this doesn't always apply: If the bat has the inches marked on the knob, I generally consider it a retail bat; unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary.

Also, do not confuse signed bats, which might have a PSA or JSA sticker on them, with game used bats, which might have a PSA or Mears sticker on them.

If you want to collect bats, I suggest get the book, and then start small, with a few "known" bats that have PSA or Mears letters with them. Louisville Sluggers are a great way to start out, because the books will help you ID the gamers pretty quick.
There are also a couple of other great books on bats that are must haves.

If you like it, after a while, you will start taking chances on a few more of the bigger fish.

One thing that I watch out for is that I can totally talk myself into believing any bat is a gamer; so I often get an objective opinion if I can before doing anything crazy.

All good advice. I will add, learn about team index bats (Bats ordered by teams that have a players name but were probably never used by that player) Many collectors and even experts, get fooled by them

If you are collecting modern, stick with MLB Authenticated stuff. Also try to photo match bats, use sites like Getty Images and look for photos of the player holding a bat and compare.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Scott Janzen

ok, so since may of you here have great bat collections, do you buy them and if so where? Do you only trust your local dealer or shop on-line at dealers, reputable auction houses or snatch them up on Ebay? Finally, do you pay near the graders values, or try to nab them for pennies on the dollar. I don't want this to break my bank. Case in point: a current Ebay listing has a game used Mel Ott bat from the 1940's. There seems to be some letter of authenticity that comes with it. PSA value for that bat is listed at $37,500; the bidding on Ebay starts at $499....can you see why I'm confused and a bit overwhelmed?

Do you look for authenticated gamers or don't care about the authentication hassles? The PSA site has whetted my appetite, but they remain vague as to specific identification characteristics. Especially how do you thr to "date" a bat? Is that where the book id's them?

Thanks again from Curious in Colorado

You've seen what ebay has: you might go to the MEARS Online site to look at their monthly auctions. Beyond that, there are a number of auction sites, like Hunt Auctions and Heritage Auctions, that often have very desirable bats up for bidding. I recommend that you pick a few players that interest you and google their names, along with the phrase "game used bat" or "Professional model bat." Several old auctions should appear, and that will give you a good sense of what has been sold, where, and for how much. Maybe you've already done all this, but, if not, I suggest you give it a try.

[Scott Janzen]

Thanks for all the great advice. One trend I've seen in all collectibles is that in 2020 you cannot find the bargains the way you could 20 years ago. Back then I bought some great condition Beatles 1st pressing LPs for $10 that had values of $300+. Today buyers are smarter and bid these low priced auctions much closer to BV than they did back then. This is true of cards and I'm sure bats too, so knowing that, if people aren't paying for it then it must not be worth much today.

Thanks for all the well wishes; I've printed the PSA Autograph prices and will check out the estate sale tomorrow. Hopefully I can get some bargains. I'll post updates if i buy any.

[sayhey24]

Good luck Scott -- take some photos to share with us of what you buy and don't buy. If we notice something good, you can always go back for it.

Greg

[Scott Janzen]

ok, when I got to the sale 10 minutes after the starting time there was still a line outside of 25 people. By the time i got in all the good stuff was sold. Only autographed bat remaining was a Dante Bichette (he was big with the Colorado Rockies). even that was priced at $95. There were a few stamped bats with names on the barrel...one was a Louisville Slugger full size souvenir model with Al Kaline stamped in it. I think they wanted $45.

The only HOFer I saw with a real signature remaining was a ball signed by McCovey and they wanted $125; PSA book value is a lot less. I picked up some old LP's, in great shape, but still $5 each, but nothing else.

Here is a link to the sale's promo site: https://www.estatesales.net/CO/Arvad...427?modal=true

[Elias121]

I enjoy these threads and i’ve been wanting to post sooner, I appreciate looking at everyone’s equipment. I would like to share one of my favorites in my collection. It’s a double dash dot, louisville slugger. The side writing is somewhat visible with the naked eye, and looks better with different camera filters. The date returned is 4/27/23. the visible writing is 38 oz Gehr.. Lou... i can’t make out the other letters because, the bat was “cleaned” at some point. it is 35-1/4 long and a beautiful dark brown. I hope y’all appreciate the pictures of the bat as much as I do, thanks for your time.