Gary Sheffield game used bat?

[kylehess10]

Check out this auction for a Gary Sheffield game used bat........the signature on the barrel does not look any bit like the signature of Sheffield but it still looks like "Gary Sheffield" in a quick scribble. Has anybody ever seen any other Sheffield bats like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290178389427&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=019


http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/c2/16/e8b8_12.JPG

[BULBUS]

definitely NOT a sheff bat.

[BMH]

Maybe...maybe not.

Looking at the endbrand tells me it was laser engraved instead of foil branded. That put it's in 2003-2004 range and when we first started the program we had some issues with the sigs. Meaning we might have pulled the sig off his contract but it wasn't the signature he used for the bats.

The laser program was dropped because a lot of players didn't like the way it looked and it was slower than branding in most cases.

[BULBUS]

Here is a sample of Sheffields hand signature and engraved signature:

http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=18209

They are not even close.

[bigtruck260]

Hey BMH - any chance you could go into a database and find out what Sheff's early sig looked like? The sig he uses now is not the one he used in 1989 (almost positive of this).

If LS used Sheff's earliest sig from his first contract...hmmm.

[indyred]

Maybe...maybe not.

Looking at the endbrand tells me it was laser engraved instead of foil branded. That put it's in 2003-2004 range and when we first started the program we had some issues with the sigs. Meaning we might have pulled the sig off his contract but it wasn't the signature he used for the bats.

The laser program was dropped because a lot of players didn't like the way it looked and it was slower than branding in most cases.

Great info, so this bat may be a very rare one. Anyone have any real old sigs of Sheff, even from late 80's? A lot of times you can see a player's sig change over the years.....

[Nnunnari]

I've seen early Sheffield sigs and they don't look like that, that's not a Sheffield bat.

[suave1477]

Here is an early Sheff sig which the only difference between then and now is that he used to curl the ends up and now he just leaves them straight.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=sheffga01

But looking at the sig on the bat it is a slim possiblity it was Shane Reynolds who was on the 2003 Team or CJ Nowitski who was on the 2004 Team.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=reynosh01

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=nitkoc01

[BMH]

Yeah, you guys are right, finally looked at his records, he never ordered the S341. I'll do some searching and see who the S341 was originally for.

[fossilbowl]

That looks like a Craig Wilson to me. I don't think he had a deal w/ LS, as I always saw him swinging Rawlings. He spent half the year with the Braves in 07 I believe.

[Vintagedeputy]

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/pics/craig_wilson_autograph2.jpg