1951 Red Sox Team-signed Half Bat & Photo
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GUEST:
This bat had been in the coat closet at my aunt and uncle's house since we were kids. And when we'd go over, we would just, like, we'd play with it. My godfather just, he gave it to me as a gift.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
'Cause, to be honest, I am the favorite. (laughs) Just, just saying.
APPRAISER:
1951, the Red Sox came in third in the American League. But they had some great players. Namely this gentleman right here.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
that's Ted Williams, of course.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And Joe DiMaggio's brother, Dom, right here. Johnny Pesky, all-time great. Bobby Doerr, Hall of Famer. This is called a half bat. We're missing the end here, but that's probably because you guys were playing with it.
GUEST:
Yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER:
And what baseball players would do is, traditional, they would cut the bat in half
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
and then each one of them would autograph it, including Johnny Pesky, Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Don DiMaggio.
GUEST:
Mm.
APPRAISER:
And generally, when they were given out, they were given out to teammates or, or friends of the family, if you will.
GUEST:
Sure.
APPRAISER:
Which makes sense why your godfather would have it. Very, very rare to find a half bat. It's in decent shape, other than the broken handle. The signatures are bold. If I were going to put an auction estimate, I'd put it at $2,000 to $3,000.
GUEST:
Great.
APPRAISER:
This photograph is interesting, too. This was only given to people who were closely associated with the team. It's got condition issues.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Even just like this, it's probably worth about $200 to $300.
GUEST:
Excellent.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
Nice.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
Go Sox. (both laugh)
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