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  J.F. Hillerich & Son Louisville Slugger Ring Bat
 
J.F. Hillerich & Son Louisville Slugger Ring Bat
 J.F. Hillerich & Son Louisville Slugger Ring Bat
Item Details
  • CIRCA - 1894 - 1896
  • MANUFACTURER - J.F. Hillerich & Son Louisville Slugger
  • SIZE - 35"
  • PRICE GUIDE - $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.
 
 
NOTES:
 
    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.

 
 
J.F. Hillerich & Son Louisville Slugger Ring Bat
 J.F. Hillerich & Son Louisville Slugger Ring Bat 

Made By J.F. Hillerich & Son Louisville Slugger TRADE MARK
Made By J.F. Hillerich & Son  Louisville Slugger TRADE MARK 

Genuine Louisville Slugger Ring Bat 1895 Newspaper Ad
Genuine Louisville Slugger Ring Bat 1895 Newspaper Ad

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