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Canada's Favorite
Hespeler - St. Mary's
Baseball Bat |
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St. Marys Wood Specialty Company
was founded in 1908 by Solen Doolittle
on James Street, in the town of St.
Mary's, Ontario, Canada. Following a
fire in January of 1912, the company
moved and was enlarged to accommodate
the tool handle, hockey stick and St.
Mary's line of baseball bats. By 1915,
the St. Mary’s Wood Specialty Co.
cataloged 16 models of hockey sticks
and 27 models of baseball bats. In 1933
St Mary's was purchased by Joseph E.
Seagram, the Canadian distiller of
Seagram's whisky. The company's name
was changed to Hespeler-St.Mary’s Wood
Specialties Ltd approximately two years
later.
In 1972, Cooper
Canada Ltd, Canada's leading producer
of leather baseball gloves and
protective ice hockey equipment,
acquired the company, which lead to the
production of the Cooper Baseball Bat.
In 1986 Major League Baseball approved
Cooper baseball bats which gained
popularity with such players as Tony
Fernández, Buck Martínez, Tim Raines,
Paul Molitor, Kelly Gruber, Jesse
Barfield, Cecil Fielder, Joe Carter,
and Hubie Brooks. They were the first
Canadian-made bats used in major league
play.
The early St. Mary’s Wood Specialties
Ltd baseball bats featured a decal, as
the "Excelsior" model pictured below.
The 1930's-1940's Center Brand featured
the "St. Mary's" script logo, with the
model No. with "BATS" below,
and at the bottom "HESPELER CANNADA."
Player endorsement includes No. 45
League Pro. Joe DiMaggio Model.
The 1950's-1960's center band a double
bordered oval, with the "St. Mary's"
script logo in the center, The model
No. and "Bats" below, and inside the
outer border reads "Canada's Favorite"
at the top, and "Hespeler Canada" at
the bottom. Player indorsement includes
No. 45 League Pro. Edie Mathews Model.
The 1960's-1972 center brand pictured
below left, is a 45 League Pro. Willie
Mays Model.
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Hespeler - St.
Mary's Wood Specialties Ltd.
Baseball Bats |
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1933-1940's St. Mary's Baseball
Bat |
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1950's-1960's St. Mary's
Baseball Bat |
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| 1939 St.
Mary's Bats
advertisement |
Early St.
Mary's Wood
Specialty Co.
Baseball Bat |
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KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES
RELATED RESOURCES |
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