On April 11th, 1975 Hank Aaron returned to the Milwaukee Brewers, the state where his fabulous career started. Since his rookie year of 1954 with the Milwaukee Braves, Aaron had established himself as the greatest homerun hitter ever, passing the great Babe Ruth during the previous season for the homerun crown.
Aaron enjoyed a warm welcome from the Brewers fans, many that remembered him from his days with the Braves, and many new Brewers fans that were seeing the great Hank Aaron for the very first time. The Brewers designated the home opener as “Welcome Home Henry” night, and Aaron finished his career the following season, (1976), in Wisconsin with the Brewers.
Offered for sale is a bat attributed from his first year with the Milwaukee Brewers, 1975. Examination of Aaron’s personal H&B factory records document Aaron ordering this exact model early in the season. The records are archived as follows:
1-13-75 through 3-17-75, A99 model, Wide Grain, mark weight on knob (33), 35” in length. A total of 55 ash bats were shipped to Aaron for the 1975 season as verified by the factory records.
In addition to the documented 1975 H&B factory records, the bat does exhibit the weight, 33, as requested by Aaron and archived in his records written on the knob. This practice was requested by Aaron and was recorded in the H&B record. Due to the fragile nature of pencil, often this tells tale sign of a player’s personal request is lost due to use. In this instance, the 33 pencil notation is still clearly visible. It must be noted that the bat presently weighs 32 ounces, but a one ounce loss of weight is acceptable.
With respects to the wood, the bat was shipped from the H&B factory with a high grade professional grain and wide grain as documented via the H&B personal records for Hank Aaron.
Another desired Aaron trait is the 44 found on both ends of the bat (knob & barrel). Examination of the 44’s reveals an open shape of the numbers, with a convex motion of the formation of the numerals. This is a very consistent trait of Aaron game used bats, and desired for high grade examples.
The overall game used is measured as heavy or optimal. Pine tar has been applied in a moderate application spanning 14” towards the centerbrand. An accompanying image illustrated a consistent application of the pinetar and Aaron using a Louisville Slugger bat while playing for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Regarding actual ball contact, in the area above the centerbrand are 10 major and 3 minor cluster of ball marks. Ball marks have been imprinted, along with some visible lace marks. Several lesser clusters of ball marks can be found below the barrel. 5 County Stadium blue rack marks can be found running along the length of the handle and barrel. On the reverse of the barrel is a hint of deadwood, a positive trait created from repeated contact of bat to ball. The patina of game use is evenly distributed from handle to barrel end.
The bat originated in Milwaukee, WI and was rumored to have been a gift by Aaron to a season ticket holder. No provenance accompanies the bat, but it is fact the bat has never been publicly offered and has remained in Milwaukee since 1975.
The specifications of the bat are as follows:
Player: Hank Aaron
Block/Script Name: Script
Label Period: 1973-75
Year/s Used: 1975
Teams Played During Era of Bat: Milwaukee Brewers
Mfg: H&B Louisville Slugger
Model Number: A99
Length: 35"
Weight: 32 ounces
Side Writing: No
Vault Marks: No
Game Use: Heavy
Ball Marks: Heavy
Swelling: No
Grain Separation: No
Cleat Marks: No
Rack Marks: Yes
Nails/Screws: No
Pine Tar: Medium
Handle Tape: No
Handle Crack: No
Barrel Crack: No
Dents/Gouges: No
Autographed: No
Uniform Number: #44
Knob Markings: 44 on knob in black marker
Barrel Markings: 44 on barrel end in black marker
Finish: Ash
Provenance: No Provenance
Factory Records: Matches known player factory records
Player Traits: Matches known player traits
MEARS Hologram #311367
Grade: MEARS A10. 5 base points awarded for bat perfectly matching H&B Hank Aaron factory records. 3 points assigned for heavy game use (ball marks, stitch marks, seem marks, rack marks), 2 points for personal player traits (documented uniform #44 on both ends and heavy game used consistent with Aaron)
MEARS Bat Trade Index: One of 5 examples graded from the era, 1973-75, Highest Graded Example, Only MEARS A10 from the era. Collection of MEARS Staff.
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