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This L. R. & Co. baseball bat
belonged to a family living in
Huntley, Illinois 6 miles
west of Chicago. In 1911, Grandpa used
to drive the
Huntley baseball team to their games in his
large Thomas B. Jeffery vehicle. The
automobile manufacturer produced cars
from 1902 until 1916.
The
origin and manufacturer of this 19th century
era ring bat is
in question. The only L. R. & Co. in
the area was a clothing store based in Columbus, Indiana, about 220
miles from Chicago Illinois, where
company
founder Lee Rosenbush resided. Clothing
stores in neighboring states, and the
Chicago area carried L. R. & Co. Stock.
J.L. Hudson's Tower Clothing Company,
the largest retail clothing store house
in western Michigan, was one.
Lee Rosenbush past away in 1897, and his wife Amelia then became the senor
partner. In 1902 she sold her interests
in the firm to her son Morris, who also
resided in Chicago with his family. The
new firm of Morris F. Rosenbush & Co.,
composed of Morris F. and brother Harry Rosenbush
assumed control of the store under the
new firm name.
Back in the
day, it was common for clothiers to give
away a baseball bat with the purchase
of a suit, pair of shoes, etc... With
no Manufacturer or business location
branded on the bat, it is likely that this bat was used as a premium.
Featuring rings or bands around
the center or and barrel, "Ring Bats" were common to
the late 1800's. The wound string on
this bat was used as a repair.
Players would often wrap string around
a cracked or splintered area of a
wooden bat to essentially "glue" the
wood back together when they couldn't
afford a new bat. This repair method
was also
noted to provide a better
grip on the bat when added to the
handle area. This practice likely became more common
during periods when baseball equipment
was less readily available and more
expensive.
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L.R. & Co.
19th Century Ring Bat |
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String Wound Crack Repair |
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KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES
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