GUU Mystery:Which is the real Ted Williams 400th HR Bat??

[matt]

I collect Williams game used items as well as lots of other vintage GU stuff, but once in a while you just have to scratch your head and realize that vintage GU attribution is one part science and one part bulls**t. Lets call this story - "one bat boy is lying."

Here is the deal - Back in 2007, Mastro/Legendary auctioned off Ted's 400th HR bat for $100,000 with "ironclad" provenance from Johnny Orlando, the boston clubby/batboy/equipment guy who said he took the bat and secured it from the HR till selling it. MEARS rated 10, Here is the listing for that bat:

http://www.legendaryauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?lotid=73103

Here is the excellent MEARS report on the bat:

http://www.mearsonline.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,print,0&cntnt01articleid=262&cntnt01showtemplate=false&cntnt01returnid=98

Now here is the fun part...The new Heritage Auction has a new version of the 400th Home Run Bat with a new story. Here we have a different batboy saying that Ted hit the home run with teammate Billy Goodman's bat by mistake and that Ted gave the bat to a team coach and later signed it as well as a document stating he used that bat to hit the HR. Worse yet, the "new" bat has goodman's number on the knob and a piece of tape over the name plate so you cannot tell if this was a bat made for Williams originally. It is a W166, which may have been a pro stoic bat anyway at that time, not ordered by Ted. Here is the new listing:

http://sports.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7051&lotIdNo=27001

So if you take a look at both, which one do you believe and why? There is lots of interesting bat info in these pages, so you might learn something by reading. All I know is that whomever paid $100K back in 2007 is not pleased.

To be clear, I think Heritage is very open about the conflict here and I am not faulting them or Legendary in any way.

Matt

[yanks12025]

That makes two lots in their auction of two items being attributed to the same event, but another auction had a different item attributed to the same event.

[matt]

That sounds like a Yogi Berra quote

Matt

[BrianK]

The 4th paragraph in the description of the "new" bat is very confusing. It states ...

But while the bat had been appropriated by teammate Billy Goodman, the experts at MEARS do confirm that "Based on examination of H&B shipping records, the label period (1950-60), Length (35"), and current weight (32 ounces) this bat was supplied to Williams during the 1952-55 era."

Are they saying MEARS examined the Goodman bat?

[matt]

The whole thing is confusing, but what I think they are saying is that Williams ordered W166 bats in 35"/32 oz size between 1952-1955...however, another player could also have ordered this model and size...and more likely, this is a Williams index bat in standard 35" length that Goodman picked up from the team and had his number on.

I find it strange that they are speculating about what signature is on the bat under the tape, but even if it is Ted's, it doesn't matter. The story makes it clear that this bat was being used by Goodman before the HR, so it was not a TW GU bat until this event...otherwise why did Ted not want it and why did it have #10 on the knob?

So to me, this bat is at best a Williams bat (personally ordered or index ordered) that Goodman was using. Then Ted mistakenly took one at bat with it and hit HR #400. I can believe that, but am not very excited about a bat Ted used once (even if it was for a momentous HR).

Even a lower graded Williams GU bat is worth over $10K these days, and the "other 400th HR bat" sold for $100K. Will be interesting to see what this one sells for!

Matt