Auction Item Details
Lot 475
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Lot Number: 475
Description: Significant Mickey Mantle 1951 World Series professional model baseball bat. The 1951 World Series represented several points of notable change within the game of baseball. It would be the final World Series appearance in the storied career of Joe DiMaggio. The Series would also represent the inaugural appearance of two young rookie players for the Giants and Yankees, respectively, by the names of Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Ironically, all three men would be involved in a play which became the most notable of the series. During the fifth inning of Game #2 Willie Mays hit a deep fly ball on which centerfielder Joe DiMaggio called off Mickey Mantle. DiMaggio made the catch but Mantle, in trying to halt his advance, got his foot caught in a field drain and badly injured his knee. Although Mantle would obviously return to health and go on to appear in numerous World Series during his career, this injury seemed to set the stage for a career which would be plagued by multiple injuries. Offered is one of the most historic Mickey Mantle game bats to have been offered publicly. Louisville Slugger 125 model bat measures 35" long and weighs 33.6 oz. The bat exhibits very fine use including ball marks, cleat marks, rack marks, and slight grain swelling to the back of the barrel. Professional repairs are found to a handle crack and an area to the back of the barrel. Model #T41 stamped on knob end (incorrectly stamped at factory as records indicate T61 for 1951 World Series bats) with Louisville Slugger manufacturer's stampings remaining bold. Stamped on barrel end, "World Series 1951 Mickey Mantle New York Yankees" as appropriate to World Series issue bats of the era. Originally obtained from Mantle around 1955 or 1956 while he was visiting a hotel in the Oklahoma area with his high school baseball coach. A friend of the consignor's father indicated to Mantle that his friend's son was a huge fan to which Mantle offered this bat and a signed ball. Given the dating to Mantle's rookie season of 1951, coupled with the high desirability of World Series model bats, the offered example is absolutely one of, if not, the finest of its type extant. Includes LOA from Hunt Auctions: EXEstimated Price Range: ($100,000-$150,000)
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