Louisville Slugger 125 model bat measures 34" long and weighs 36.1oz. The bat shows outstanding usage characteristics including slight checking (grain separation) from repeated ball contact on the barrel, ball stitching impressions, and cleat marks including three pronounced examples to the right of his facsimile signature. An area of lighter tonality to the finish surface on the handle measuring approximately 11 1/2" long appears to have possibly been from the period handle tape characteristically seen on Cobb game bats. The bat finish and a handle crack have been profesionally conserved at some point. The barrel area also display vestiges of Hillerich & Bradsby Co. factory side writing (marking not legible) indicative of return to the Louisville Slugger factory vault for future specification use. Both the H&B centerbrand labeling and Cobb's facsimile signature stamped along the barrel are deeply rendered.
It must be noted as referenced within the letter provided by John Taube/PSA that Cobb's predominant model bat specifications as listed within the Hillerich & Bradsby Co. factory records measured 34.5" in length. Taube also notes within the included letter the following points of reference regarding Cobb bat specifications: 1) Cobb ordered a "Buddy Ryan" model in 1921 with no recorded length. 2) Half inch notations are the norm rather than the exception on modern day records. Prior to 1920, the lengths of bats do not appear on the player records. 3) While the familiar Cobb gamer is a 34.5" bat, a 34 or 35" bat used by Cobb cannot be dismissed. The length variant of the offered bat could suggest use by another player in addition to Cobb as ordered by the Detroit Tigers in the period.
Ty Cobb's compulsion to succeed on the diamond prompted one sportswriter to describe him as "possessed by the furies". Cobb broke into the majors in 1905 after being purchased from the minor leagues for $750. Manager Hugh Jennings made him a regular outfielder in 1907, and Cobb became the youngest player to win the batting title. It was the first of twelve batting crowns, including nine in a row, both still records today. When he retired from the game in 1928 he held 90 major league records, most of these achieved with his bat. Most telling of his superiority is his .367 lifetime average, a daunting mark accomplished over a 24-year career that will likely never be approached. This outstanding Cobb game bat dates to the apex of his reign as baseball's most feared and dominant competitor. Includes LOAs from MEARS (A9) and PSA/DNA: EX