LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 October Sig. Sports Collectibles II #708  / 

19683

1970 Thurman Munson Game Used Rookie Bat

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop / Sports - Game Used Memorabilia Start Price:2,400.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
1970 Thurman Munson Game Used Rookie Bat
<B>1970 Thurman Munson Game Used Rookie Bat.</B></I> The August 2, 1979 news hit the Yankee faithful like the proverbial ton of bricks. Much like the Kennedy assassination, any Yankee fan who was active in his rooting that year remembers exactly where he was when he heard the news that Munson's plane had gone down and that their beloved team captain had not escaped the flames. The beating heart that had delivered his ballclub from its longest Championship cold streak since Babe Ruth led it to its first was suddenly stopped, and that year the second, even longer drought would begin. This was no coincidence. Despite an absence from Cooperstown, Munson remains one of the most significant Yankees in pinstriped history, and likewise remains the most sought after and valuable figure in the collectibles market of those players active within the past three decades.<BR><BR> Here we are pleased to present one of the most significant Munson artifacts to reach the auction block in recent years, one the very few bats that can be definitively assigned to his incredible Rookie of the Year campaign. The signature model Hillerich & Bradsby S44 presents evidence of outstanding use, with heavy ball and stitch marks joining scattered spike marks on the barrel, and an expertly repaired handle crack one can only detect upon the closest of examination. Pine tar residue at upper handle is a distinctive Munson trait. Bat authenticators John Taube and Vince Malta note that a small variation in the center trademark was specific to 1969, though the evidence of rookie use is established even more definitively with a vintage notation upon the barrel reading "9/6/70, Mike Skates, Paul Cora." While we cannot establish the identity of the names, the date coincides with a Cleveland Indians visit to Yankee Stadium, leaving little doubt that this was the date of acquisition by this pair. Length: thirty-five inches. Weight: thirty-one and one half ounces.<BR><BR> Achieving grades of GU8 from Malta and Taube, and A8.5 from Dave Bushing, the bat bears the strong blessings of the industry's top experts. With Munson collectibles growing ever hotter in the hobby market, we expect intense bidding action upon this elite piece from the brilliant and all-too-short career of the man who defined the 1970's Yanks. <I>LOA from Taube & Malta. LOA from Dave Bushing.</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Bats, Clubs, Sticks, Swords, Rif (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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