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J.F. Hillerich & Son
Louisville Slugger Ring
Bat |
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Item Details |
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CIRCA
- 1894 - 1896
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MANUFACTURER
- J.F. Hillerich &
Son Louisville
Slugger
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SIZE
- 35"
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PRICE GUIDE
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$750.00-$1,500.00
Very Good -
Excellent Condition
In lieu
of a sales history
the estimated value
on this extremely
rare ring bat is loosely based on
pre-1900's J.F. Hillerich & Son baseball
bats. Actual value
might be much
higher.
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J. Frederick Hillerich started a
woodworking shop in Louisville Kentucky
in 1856. By 1864 "J.F. Hillerich, Job
Turning" was in business. In 1880, his
eldest son, John Andrew "Bud" Hillerich,
became an apprentice in his father's
shop. As an amateur baseball player,
Bud made his own baseball bats along
with bats for several of his teammates.
In 1884 Bud created a bat for
professional baseball player Pete
Browning who went by the nickname "The
Louisville Slugger." The name
"Louisville Slugger" became the
company's registered trademark in 1894,
and Bud joined his father as a partner
in 1897.
The Dash-Diamond-Dash reverse branded baseball bats, were the earliest
used by J.F. Hillerich & Son, and can
be dated to about 1888 to 1896. The
font style on this bat was also unique
to this era. The Louisville Slugger
"Trade Mark" below the oval replaced
"Copyrighted" shortly after
registration was complete, around 1894.
Decorated with painted or stained rings
around the center or and barrel, "Ring
Bats" were common to the late
1800's. J.F. Hillerich & Son ring bats
are not only extremely rare but this
bat might be the only one known to
surface in the hobby.
J.F. Hillerich & Son catalog information or records from this era are as
rare as the bats that were
manufactured. In fact, it might be
easier to find the bats. Most of the
records kept by the company were lost
in a factory fire in 1910, and a
disastrous flood along the Ohio River
in 1937 pretty much finished off most
of what was left. Having to rely on
newspaper ads taken out by J.F. Hillerich
& Son during this time, we can find evidence that this
ring bat was made around 1895.
The 1895 newspaper ad pictured below for "the genuine Louisville Slugger
Ball Bats" does illustrate a ring bat
with reverse branding, but it seems
that a stock illustration of a Spalding
ring bat was used, and flipped
horizontally to show the reverse
branding.
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J.F. Hillerich & Son
Louisville Slugger Ring Bat |
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| Made By J.F.
Hillerich & Son |
Louisville Slugger
TRADE MARK |
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Genuine Louisville Slugger Ring
Bat 1895 Newspaper Ad |
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KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES
RELATED RESOURCES |
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