Offered is a fine example of the famous Bottle Bat made famous by Groh, so much so to today's collectors that he is more noted for his bat than his stellar baseball career. Groh came up with John McGraw's Giants in 1912-13 and was traded to the Reds during the 1913 season where he stayed until 1921 which, of course, included the infamous 1919 World Series against the Chicago White Sox lead by Joe Jackson. He went back to the Giants for the 1922 World Championship season and played with them through the end of the 1926 season. He ended his major league career in 1927, once again playing for a National League Championship team.
The offered bat is your typical Groh bottle bat as made by Zinn Beck. This is absolutely a model made for major league game use as evidenced by the hand turned knob sans the usual factory stamp and his name is stamped on the end of the barrel. The wood grain is of superior quality. Most photographs show Groh with a spiral handle tape application and you can see the ghost remains of some long gone spiral handle tape on this bat. It dates to the prime of his career during the 1920's.
Player: Heinie Groh
Block/Script Name: block letter first and last name
Label Period: 1920's
Year/s Used: same
Teams Played During Era of Bat: Giants
Other Teams Played:
Majors: Reds , Pirates
Minors: Oshkosh 1908-10, Springfield-Buffalo 1911, Toledo 1926, Rochester 1927, Charlotte 1928, Hartford 1929, Canton 1930, Binghamton 1931-32
Mfg: Zinn Beck
Model Number: 100 series
Length: 32.5
Weight: 41.8
Side Writing: no
Vault Marks: no
Game Use: heavy
Ball Marks:
Swelling: heavy concentration on top
Grain Separation: light on back
Cleat Marks: yes, numerous
Rack Marks: no
Nails/Screws: no
Cracked: no
Pine Tar: no
Handle Tape: no
Handle Crack: no
Barrel Crack: no
Dents/Gouges: yes, several on barrel
Autographed: no
Uniform Number: no
Knob Markings: none
Barrel Markings: none
Finish: ash
Provenance: no
Factory Records: no
Player Traits: yes
Grade: A6.5 with 5 base points, 3 use points, minus 1 for dead wood and minus .5 for dents
MEARS bat index: MEARS has examined nine Groh bats in our data base. There were three Spalding 1912-19 models and six H&B models that all dated from the 1921-30 era. All the recorded lengths were 32-33" and 8 of 9 bats weighed between 40.1 oz and 45 oz so this bat is totally consistent with all MEARS recorded Groh bats from two different makers.
Comments: Documented game use of Zinn Beck 100 models. Dimensions match MEARS recorded H&B specs.
(MEARS LOA)