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Series collectibles 2000: Bats For 65 years, batmaker Hillerich & Bradsby has produced 150 or so World Series souvenirs for executives, players and select other family members from each of the season's two finalists. Over the years, these gifts, today known as World Series black bats, have found their way to the marketplace as surviving family members decided they had no use for them or didn't value them as much as collectors. These bats bear the name and year of that year's world champion. The runnerup is similarly honored as its league's champion. Perhaps the most attractive feature on the bats are the teams' foil-stamped facsimile autographs. (Actually, only the players under contract with H&B are represented with their signatures; others's names are shown in block letters.) Prices for the bats range from just under $200 to $4,500, depending on desireability, rarity and condition. Bats produced during the last 30 years, with several exceptions, range from $200 to $600. The 1977 Yankee bat is ranked among the high end of that scale largely because of the presence of the late Thurman Munson. |