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MANUFACTURER
- Blackman &
Burchfield
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In 1945 C. H. Blackman of Riverside,
Wellsville, and his son-in-law, Arden
L. Burchfield, of Willets avenue,
purchased the Fairview Avenue property
and woodworking plant from the Reed
Brothers of Bridgeport, PA. The two
partners, who owned and operated the
B&B Woodworking Company of Belmont,
N.Y., then remodeled the plant to mass
produce baseball bats.
Obsolete machinery was discarded and new machinery brought in, which
included; the installation of a steam
dry kiln, a Mattison automatic lathe,
considered the fastest and most
complete cutting tool in use for
baseball bats, fitted with high
production cutter heads, and a Nash
sander, capable of sanding eight bats a
minute was purchased and installed.
Finishing and production techniques
gathered from all parts of the country,
coupled with the owners’ improvements,
place the Blackman & Burchfield bats in
a class capable of successfully
competing with the best bats on the
market.
Soon the company was turning out 2,500 bats a week. Orders were piling up,
even with the employment of fifteen men
running shifts. "The Belmont" line of
baseball bats were named after the
Village of Belmont to advertise one of
the best small communities in the
U.S.A. "The Belmont," Blackman &
Burchfield baseball bat seems to be the
only model that the company produced,
and little is known how long the plant
was in operation.
With a limited sales history, "The Belmont" Blackman & Burchfield baseball
bat, has an estimated value of about
$25.-$50. in good -very good condition.
Most of these bats in the collectors
market have weak branding. High grade
examples will sell for more.
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"The Belmont" Blackman
& Burchfield Baseball Bat |
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KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES
RELATED RESOURCES |
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