A 1957 GRANDMOTHER baseball bat had a note pasted on it detailing its history, which clarified its $30,000 value.
An Antiques Roadshows guest brought the bat in to be appraised after discovering it while cleaning her grandmother’s house.
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She explained that her grandmother used to go to Brooklyn Dodgers baseball games.
The story goes that Dodgers player Roy Campanella hit his last home run with the bat in a game his grandmother was watching.
“Jackie Robinson broke the color line in 1947. Roy Campanella was waiting in the wings,” said appraiser Leila Dunbar.
“He was playing, like Jackie, in the Negro Leagues. In ’48, he was taken to the Dodgers and was a sensation!”
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Somehow the grandmother got her hands on it and managed to take it home as a souvenir.
Unfortunately, Campanella’s last blow was because in 1958 he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
The grandmother had written an account of how she got the bat and where exactly it was from.
But Dunbar pointed out some problems with the story and tried to set the record straight.
The bat was stamped with Campanella’s name and the number C188 on the bottom of the handle.
This proved that it was an authentic bat used in games.
“So this is where we are with your stick,” Dunbar said.
“We know it’s a bat used in Roy Campanella games from 1954 to 1957. Okay!
“The insurance value of this bat is $30,000.”
The guest was stunned and could only whisper, “Wow,” before Dunbar continued her assessment.
“If we could prove that he actually hit the last home run of his career, in my estimation it would be at least $100,000,” she said.
“If we can prove he hit his last home run with this bat, you’ll go from a home run to a grand slam.”
PLAY SOCCER
Another guest on the show had an incredible piece of Major League Baseball memorabilia.
One collector explained that his grandfather had broadcast an autographed Baseball Hall of Fame program from the museum’s opening day in 1939.
His grandfather hid for hours in the museum’s bathroom trying to get signatures from his favorite players.
Baseball greats, including Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, Cy Young and, most notably, Babe Ruth, were on hand to be inducted into the hall of fame.
All the signatures were worth money, but Ruth’s was the one that made it worth a lot of money.
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The appraiser said the program would sell for between $10,000 and $20,000 at auction.
“Interesting, well, Grandpa – this was his crown jewel,” said the owner.
“He knew he had something special and loved sharing the stories with us.”
On another episode of Antiques Roadshow, a woman discovered that a painting her mother-in-law gave her was worth $8,000.
Furthermore, a model of a famous bridge was valued at US$25,000 thanks to the material it is made from.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
