1866 Trophy Baseball Bat
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GUEST:
This bat is my great-great-grandfather's. He played on a team in New London called the Pequots, and my mother, who's just turned 90, told me yesterday that somewhere in all the different trunks, there are newspaper articles about the team and their victories and who they played and how many hits and so on, and this is all back in the late 1800s. And the gentleman holding the bat is my great-great- grandfather. He was the pitcher, and their names are also inscribed on it so we know who all the team members were.
APPRAISER:
And of course, your great-great-grandfather is also holding this actual bat in the photograph.
GUEST:
That's correct.
APPRAISER:
And, uh, this bat is from 1866. It's called a trophy bat. These were given to the champions of the amateur baseball teams of the era. This was when baseball was truly a game and people played for reputation, and the championship was... really, that was the heart and soul of it all, and this was what was awarded. Your great-great-grandfather must have been a very important person on the team; he was awarded the bat. It says right here it's a champion bat, New London County, New London, Connecticut. "Presented by the Young Men's Association of Norwich." It's composed of rosewood which was a very expensive wood. It was imported, and, uh, obviously a cherished memento. I'd like you to tell me a little bit about the inscription on the back.
GUEST:
It says, "To Miss Addie"... who would be my great-great grandmother. " A memento of victory. The Pequots versus the Chesters."
APPRAISER:
So in other words, your great-great-grandfather gave this bat-- probably his most cherished possession-- to your great-great-grandmother while he was courting her.
GUEST:
I believe that's correct.
APPRAISER:
It's fantastic. It's phenomenal. I love it! I wish I had something like that in my family. Um, in the memorabilia market right now, a bat like this is probably worth around $5,000 to $6,000.
GUEST:
Whoo!
APPRAISER:
As a family heirloom, absolutely priceless.
GUEST:
That's correct.
APPRAISER:
It's just amazing.
GUEST:
I really appreciate it.
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