Hillerich & Bradsby manufactured baseball bats for department stores and mail order companies, for many years. Sometimes placing a privately branded name exclusive to that company, such as the Marathon line of baseball bats sold by Montgomery Ward in their department stores and mail order catalogs.

The bat pictured at the top is a Hillerich & Bradsby LL3 Mickey Mantle Little League baseball bat. The Manufacture catalog designation "LL3" is not a conventional catalog number used by Hillerich & Bradsby for any of their line of baseball bats. In all Hillerich & Bradsby trade catalogs the numbers precede the letters, such as 3LL not LL3 (LL, Little League)

The Hillerich & Bradsby Center brand on this bat does not feature the typical oval logo. Instead it has Hillerich & Bradsby open with 4 Trapezoidal shapes at each corner giving the appearance of an oval. It also reads Louisville at the top and Kentucky at the bottom commonly found on inexpensive store model bats, as opposed to Louisville Slugger found on Higher quality store model and pro model bats.

These specially branded baseball bats were produced by Hillerich & Bradsby, to be sold at various department stores and mail order companies. Some of these bats do feature the company name, that the bat was made for, such as the 60-21404 bat pictured below left. This bat was made for and stamped with the Montgomery Ward "Powered" logo, a play on the Louisville Slugger "Powerized" logo

Hillerich & Bradsby Department Store Baseball Bats


Montgomery Ward Baseball Bat	Montgomery Ward Like Bat


Unknown Department store Bat	D.H.B Crackerjack Bat

1970 Era Little League Baseball Bats

The Montgomery Ward 60-21404 is consistent with the catalog numbers that appear on their line of sporting goods, which all start with a number 60-prefix. The LL3 bat pictured at the top, and the 40-08 bat pictured above right, are department store models that do not have the company name on them but can be identified by a company that uses these types of catalog numbers for their line of sporting goods.

Montgomery Ward sold the privately branded Marathon line of baseball bats, that were made by Hillerich & Bradsby up until or around the 1960's. They then contracted out with the Hawthorne line that also used the catalog numbers that begin with the number 60-prefix. The department store logo bats are most likely dated to the 1970 era and later.

The D.H.B. Crackerjack bat pictured above, Has the "TM" trademark above the "B" in BRADSBY, and might be dated later than the other 4 bats. Designated with the catalog No. 2, the Crackerjack was an inexpensive retail baseball bat carried for many years in the Hillerich & Bradsby line of store model bats. The D.H.B is possibly the initials of a privately branded business selling the Crackerjack bat or using it as a special promotion or premium.

It is worth noting that the markings on the LL3 bat are burned in branded, and the others have foil printing heated onto the surface. The Branded LL3 might be older.

PRICE GUIDE

Value is based on past auctions and sales. Baseball bats with this style center brand are not as common as other Little league Bats with the conventional H&B center brand, and will sell slightly higher. Prices will vary based on demand for the player that endorsed the bat. Payers such as Mickey Mantle, or Pete Rose could sell at a premium. Because of the rarity of the department store label the Crackerjack baseball bat could sell in the $20.-$30. price range in excellent-Near Mint condition.