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1918 A.J. Reach War
Department Baseball Bat |
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Item Details |
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CIRCA
- 1917-1918
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MANUFACTURER
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A.J. Raech
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SIZE
- 31" - 35"
/ 35-46 ounces
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PRICE GUIDE
- $300.00-$400.00
(with 0-20% "World
Series" Decal)
$500.-$1,000.
(with 30-90% Decal)
Very Good -
Excellent condition
(Value will vary
with decal bats
based on the
percentage of the
reaming decal)
Information
Provided by:
Keymancollectibles.com
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First
advertised in the 1917 A.J.
Reach catalog as
the best $1.00 bat in the
nation, the "World Series" baseball
bats were made of naturally
straight grained Northern Ash. The bat
was made in two different styles,
No. 105 & 106, with
twelve models, each 1-12 being of
different lengths and weights. The
"World Series" center brand features
the "A.J. Reach Co." trade mark above,
with the Model No. below. A
circular gold & black decal to
the right on the barrel reads: "A.J.
REACH COMPANY" along the top two
thirds of the outer ring, and at the
bottom "PHILADELPHIA." The inner circle
is centered with "World Series" in
white, and PERFECT BALANCE" at the top
"Models" below.
The A. J. Reach World Series baseball bats were used for, and feature the War
Department Commission on Training Camp
Activities stamp on the back side of
the bat.
Days after the U.S. entered the first
World War in April of 1917, President
Woodrow Wilson created a new Federal
Agency, the Commission on Training Camp
Activities. The program was designed to
clean up the immoral influences
associated with encampments and their
surrounding communities. It was a great
concern to the American Family, for the
moral destruction of their sons, and
husbands going off to war. The program
would help surround our troops with a
healthy, cheerful environment, and to
ensure the purity of the camp
environment. Training camps would then
mold not only soldiers, but model
citizens who after the war would return
to their communities spreading urban
middle-class values throughout the
country.
Almost immediately organizations such
as the Knights of Columbus the YMCA,
the YWCA, the Jewish Welfare Board, the
Salvation Army, and the American
Library Association worked to supply
recreational services and raise money
for equipment. The WWI "bat and ball
fund" was started. Shortly after the
CTCA - Commission on Training Camp
Activities was in place, Washington
Senators owner Clark Griffith launched
a plan to support our troops by raising
money to purchase athletic equipment.
mostly baseball gear, to outfit every
U.S. military training camp.
The Y.M.C.A. shipped 144,000 bats and
79,680 balls to the troops overseas
with the money raised by Griffith.
Baseball equipment including the 1918
Official National League Baseballs used
by American serviceman stationed in
Poitiers, France, featured the Y.M.C.A.
stamp. The equipment that was supplied
through the CTCA had the "War
Department Commission on Training Camp
Activities" stamp. It was reported in a
July 1918 newspaper that "more than
70,000 baseballs and 3,000 bats have
been sent to the American camps. Large
quantities of gloves, masks and chest
protectors have been given to the
sport-loving soldiers."
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1918 A.J. Reach "World
Series" No. 105 - War
Department Baseball Bat |
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A.J Reach "World Series" No. 105 & 106 Baseball Bats |
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