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The Diamond MFG.
Co. Shapleigh Baseball
Bats |
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Item Details |
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MANUFACTURING PERIOD
1910-1962
MANUFACTURER
Hillerich & Bradsby Co.
Shapleigh Hardware Co.
St. Louis,
Missouri
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The A.F. Shapleigh Hardware Company
was founded in 1843 by Augustus
Frederick Shapleigh. By the early
1900's the Hardware supplier carried a
full range of household goods,
hardware, guns, and knives with the
private brand "Diamond Edge" logo. In
1901 Saunders Norvell of Simmons
Hardware, bought into the company and
used the name, Norvell-Shapleigh
Hardware. In 1918 the name was changed
to Shapleigh Hardware Co. Their catalog
also included a line of baseball gloves
& bats.
The "Bingler" was Shapleigh's flagship baseball bat. An early 1910 Norvell-Shapleigh
catalog ad shows a line of baseball
bats using "The B.B. Co." brand name.
Catalog No. 100 Bingler "plain handle,"
No. 100T "taped handle," No. 100B
"Burnished Black" finish to harden the
surface, and the No. 100M "Mushroom
knob" Other models included the No. 75
"Varsity," No. 50 "League," No. 40
"High School," No. 25 "Amateur," No. 20
"Practice," No. 15 "Bingler Jr.," No.
10 "Surprise," and No. 5 "Junior." The
center brands for these bats, resemble
the A.J. Reach brand, but more research
needs to be done to confirm this.
The next generation of Shapleigh's baseball bats featured "The Diamond
MFG, Co." center brand. The bats were
made by Hillerich & Bradsby as evident
by the model names, and the inclusion
of Louisville Slugger line of bats in
the Shapleigh catalog. In a 1935
Shapleigh Hardware catalog, along side
Hillerich & Bradsby, the flagship
Bingler baseball bats are featured.
Catalog No.'s in the 100 series
nclude No. 102 Jimmy Foxx, No. 103 Joe
Medwick, No. 108 Babe Ruth, No. 112
Chuck Klein, No. 114 Rogers Hornsby,
and No. 116 Lou Gehrig. All endorsees
under contract with H&B.
Other Diamond Manufacturing Company baseball bat models, in the Shapleigh
Hardware catalog included; No. 76 Safe
Hit, No. 66 Sure Hit, No. 56 Semi-Pro,
No. 50. Major League, No. 35 Amateur,
No. 33 League, No. 31 Leader, and No.
30. Junior League. After 1940 the
catalog numbers were changed to; No.D86
Safe Hit, No. D76 Sure Hit, No. D56.
Major League, No. D46 League, and No.
D36. Junior League. The letter "B" was
added to a two or three digit catalog
number for the Bingler player endorsed
Baseball bats. Some of the existing
Bingler player endorsed bats were
changed to No. B76 Babe Ruth, No. B79
Rogers Hornsby, and No. B710 Lou
Gehrig. No. CUB1 Clean-Up
Baseball bats featuring a decal dates
to the 1920's and earlier.
Shapleigh Hardware was sold in 1955 to
the Curtis Mfg. Co. who continued to
operate the business under the
Shapleigh Hardware name, and eventually
went out of business around 1962.
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