Artist/Maker
A. G. Spalding & Bros.
(founded 1876)
Baseball bat
1909-1922
Place madeUnited States
Wood
Overall: 32 3/8 × 2 1/4 in. (82.2 × 5.7 cm)
Purchase
2016.60
Thick maple and hickory bats purportedly offered greater hitting power, and were popular among amateurs and professionals alike well into the twentieth century. Albert Spalding (1849–1915), one of the nation’s first paid baseball players and co-founder of A. G. Spalding Sporting Goods, realized the profitability of spectator sports. He advanced the business of professional baseball by boosting the creation of the National League in 1876, which survives today as part of Major League Baseball.
ClassificationsENTERTAINMENT & RECREATION
A. G. Spalding & Bros.
1994
2019.75.251
