Fall 2017 - Item detail
1953 Jackie Robinson Game-Used Bat - PSA/DNA GU 9 - One of Only a Few Examples in the Hobby with His #42 on the Knob!
- Sold For:
- $72,000
- Year:
- 1953
- Auction:
- 2017 Fall
- Lot #:
- 16
- Category:
- Post-1900 Baseball Memorabilia
Exceptional high-grade Jackie Robinson H&B signature-model ("O16") bat dating from the Brooklyn Dodgers 1953 pennant-winning season, and one of only a small number of Robinson game-used bats in the hobby today that feature his number "42" on the knob. Graded GU 9 by PSA/DNA. Although the bat conforms to the general 1950 to 1960 labeling period, factory records can pinpoint its year of manufacture to 1953, which was the only year in which Robinson ordered model "O16" bats. This bat measures 34.5 inches in length and weighs 32.4 ounces.; specifications that correspond nearly perfectly to those found in Robinson's Professional Bat Ordering Record (PBOR) on file at Lousiville Slugger. According to those records, Robinson placed three separate orders of O16" model bats in 1953, with the shipments taking place on August 23rd, September 22nd, and September 23rd. The bat displays evidence of heavy use along its entire length, including many ball marks and ball-stitch impressions on the right, left, and back barrel, and a crack (indeterminate length) in the handle that has been professionally repaired.
What distinguishes this bat from other Robinson bats from the era is the fact that remnants of Robinson's number "42" appear on the knob in faded black paint. According to John Taube, in his accompanying LOA from PSA/DNA, "The black paint number '42' has been documented on Jackie Robinson game used bats from the era. Exemplars appearing in our database are PSA/DNA Cert. #I02168 and #H53038. The same style of player numbers (black paint) has also appeared on bats of other Dodgers from the era. Examples in our database are Pee Wee Reese (PSA/DNA Cert. #G55463), and Roy Campanella (PSA/DNA Cert. #1B00108). In addition to Robinson's uniform number, there is another notation, on the knob, written in green ink, that reads 'CEG'." Regarding that notation, Taube writes "We have researched the Dodgers roster and cannot place the initials 'CEG' to any member of the 1953 or 1954 team. Additionally, if the bat were used by another player, the '42' would have been crossed off or marked over, so the bat would not be confused in the bat rack. . . . In this case, it is our opinion the green ink 'CEG' is unrelated to Robinson or the Dodger team and was placed on the knob by a subsequent owner."
Robinson enjoyed another stellar season in 1953, batting .329 with 12 home runs and 95 RBI. Those numbers helped the Dodgers capture their second consecutive pennant. Unfortunately for the Flatbush faithful, "wait 'til next year," would again be the season's final refrain, as the club was once again defeated in the World Series by its crosstown rival, the New York Yankees. A Jackie Robinson bat is one of the few items that transcends the hobby due to Robinson's special place in history as the first person to break baseball's long-standing color barrier in 1947. The fact that this bat also displays his uniform number "42" on the knob, a number which has been retired by ever Major League team in his honor, makes it one of the finest examples in the hobby. This is an extraordinary Jackie Robinson bat in all respects and one that truly deserves its lofty grade of GU 9 from PSA/DNA. Reserve $50,000. Estimate $100,000++.
What distinguishes this bat from other Robinson bats from the era is the fact that remnants of Robinson's number "42" appear on the knob in faded black paint. According to John Taube, in his accompanying LOA from PSA/DNA, "The black paint number '42' has been documented on Jackie Robinson game used bats from the era. Exemplars appearing in our database are PSA/DNA Cert. #I02168 and #H53038. The same style of player numbers (black paint) has also appeared on bats of other Dodgers from the era. Examples in our database are Pee Wee Reese (PSA/DNA Cert. #G55463), and Roy Campanella (PSA/DNA Cert. #1B00108). In addition to Robinson's uniform number, there is another notation, on the knob, written in green ink, that reads 'CEG'." Regarding that notation, Taube writes "We have researched the Dodgers roster and cannot place the initials 'CEG' to any member of the 1953 or 1954 team. Additionally, if the bat were used by another player, the '42' would have been crossed off or marked over, so the bat would not be confused in the bat rack. . . . In this case, it is our opinion the green ink 'CEG' is unrelated to Robinson or the Dodger team and was placed on the knob by a subsequent owner."
Robinson enjoyed another stellar season in 1953, batting .329 with 12 home runs and 95 RBI. Those numbers helped the Dodgers capture their second consecutive pennant. Unfortunately for the Flatbush faithful, "wait 'til next year," would again be the season's final refrain, as the club was once again defeated in the World Series by its crosstown rival, the New York Yankees. A Jackie Robinson bat is one of the few items that transcends the hobby due to Robinson's special place in history as the first person to break baseball's long-standing color barrier in 1947. The fact that this bat also displays his uniform number "42" on the knob, a number which has been retired by ever Major League team in his honor, makes it one of the finest examples in the hobby. This is an extraordinary Jackie Robinson bat in all respects and one that truly deserves its lofty grade of GU 9 from PSA/DNA. Reserve $50,000. Estimate $100,000++.