Cleaning up a game used bat

[metsbats]

There was an interesting exchange in the Goldin auction preview thread which I'd like to take into it's own thread. It's an interesting topic and we don't want to hijack the auction thread. Plus I have a bat which I was thinking about cleaning up too.

I obtained a 2000 Timo Perez World series bat which has it's labeling covered to a point where you can bearly make out the label stampings. It looks like an old early 80's brown LV slugger now. I'm not even sure if this this bat was a natural colored bat or a brown or black bat to start with. I know Timo didn't use this bat in the WS as I viewed each of his at bats and he used an Easton.

I already ask BMH if HB would take this bat back and restore it to it's natural state but he indicated they cannot and probably wouldn't even have the original die casts from 2000.

So should I sand this bat down and try to restore it myself?

Would love to know what you guys would do.

Thanks

[Hoosier39]

I would probably just leave it alone in this case...

[gameused]

David,

I would leave it alone, looks nice as it is and you can still see his name and the 2000 World Series stamp.....nice bat!

Thanks,
Bobby

[yanks12025]

To me it looks like a black bat and the stuff covering the center brand is pine tar by the photos. I'd leave it as is, nice looking bat.

[HawaiiSportsNut]

I would definitely leave the bat as it is. The bat has a lot of character.

[metsbats]

To me it looks like a black bat and the stuff covering the center brand is pine tar by the photos. I'd leave it as is, nice looking bat.

Judging from what 's left of the orginal stamping which is silver I'm suspecting too that it was a black bat.

[icollectDCsports]

I would not "clean" anything off of a bat that was put on the bat by the player (or equipment manager) preparing the bat for use or actually using the bat. The tougher question is what to do if you're confident there's something on the bat that someone put there after the bat was retired from game use, and whether that removal could be done without altering the "game used" characteristics of the bat.

[scottanservitz]

I'd leave it alone. The bat looks sweet the way it is.

[metsbats]

Thanks for the input Guys. I'm going to keep it the way it is.

Regarding the game use on the bat there is dead wood on the back of the barrel but no visible hit marks which leads me to believe whatever was done to the bat to cover the stamping was done after it was used (which was why i was considering restoring it)