Cricket Bat with some Baseball Connections

[jpop43]

Perhaps this should have ended up in "July Finds" but I wanted to try and get some thoughts on it and felt that it might get some more visibility in its own thread. My apologies up front if it ends up boring everyone.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I was antiquing out in PA and given that pickings were very slim in terms of gloves/bats/balls, I sort of slowed down and expanded my search for a more varied assortment of vintage equipment.

Over the years I have walked by countless numbers of golf clubs, tennis rackets, and croquet sets, and probably a cricket bat or two as well, but this particular one caught my eye. I spotted it in an antique store and before I was able to see the whole thing, the handle made me think 1870’s era baseball bat.

So I took a flyer on it for a very low price and just figured I’d add it to the collection as a precursor to my baseball bats.

The cricket bat itself is in great shape, virtually undamaged with nice signs of use, 34.5” long, and very nicely marked. Aside from the twine wrapped handle, the apparent age, and the condition, what further drew my attention was the manufacturer.

Years ago on ebay we saw a beautiful, full web, white leather baseball glove that was made by the Lillywhite, Frowd &Co. of London. This bat is made by the same company but evidently dates to around 1882-1885 given the specifics of the stampings.

After some research and contacting the Lillywhite Family Cricket Museum in Florida I learned that the James Lillywhite, Frowd &Co. (Borough London) mark was used until 1885 when the “James” dropped off. So, I was pleased with the age of the bat, but what really elevated it for me was the counter stamping it had on it.

Below the mfg brand is a second stamp, and although a bit light, clearly reads “AJ Reach, Phila”.


So, this is what I know about the cricket bat.

It was made by the son of one of England’s premier cricketers from the mid 19th Century whose family had connections to Henry Chadwick as well as the Wright brothers…all cricketers before establishing our National Game. The bat itself is undoubtedly 19th century and likely dates to 1882-1885. It was made in England and shipped to the US for distribution by the AJ Reach Company of Philadelphia (I found the bat in PA). Another nice tie in is that Reach was born in London and his father was also a cricketer.

Here is a link to the Lillywhite Family museum and their collection…its really interesting for a baseball fan, particularly the amazing cricket manual put out by Henry Chadwick….

http://www.thelillywhitefamilymuseum.com/

What I don’t know is whether or not the bat is rare, valuable, or desirable in any way. Until last week I have never given cricket much thought. I did learn that the current exhibit up at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown has to do with cricket and the birth of baseball…maybe I need to check it out.
Here is a link to that exhibit…

http://baseballhall.org/news/press-r...ening-april-16

Anyway, sorry you all had to read a story about cricket here on a baseball forum. That being said, if you have any thoughts I’d love to hear them.

Best,

Jonathan
www.dugouttreasures.com

[Jcfowler6]

Very cool find Jonathan.

Nice bit of history too. Thanks!