I just picked up a 2002 Old Hickory signed game used bat of Albert Pujols. I was looking at the Pujols pics on getty images and I think I found an exact photo match for this bat. Can someone tell me how to post pics and I will get them up for you folks to look at.
Albert Pujols 2002 game used bat with photo match!
April 14 2005, 5:00 AM
I did my best to post the pics using image shack.
If you look at the top of the bat on the first pic you can see the number 5 written in silver in the cupped barrel, you can tell this is an Old Hickory by the way the bat is cupped (very deep) only Old Hickory bats are cupped this way, also the handle is shaved. I held this bat up in the exact angle as the top pic and it looks the same with the number and shaved handle being exact. In the first pic the barrel appears to be black, I enhanced the top photo to make it brighter and the barrel area is brown, not black. I'm 99 percent sure that this is the bat pictured in the photo from getty images. The picture of Pujols is from a game against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium on August 10, 2002, Pujols is tossing the bat after drawing a walk. The bat comes with a COA from John Taube that states the bat is from the 2002 season. Pujols autographed the bat with the his number "5" ROY O1' and 31-01-03, the date that the bat was signed.
I'm looking at a 2003 Donruss card of Pujols (#476) that looks like it could be the same bat. Not sure if this is a regular Donruss card or a subset -- it says "TEAM Heroes" at the top and has a red and white border (I gave up on cards years ago to focus on bats). The handle shaving pattern on the card is very distinct, so if yours is the same, you might have a match. A photo match is great; a match to a baseball card (at least to me) is even better.
Looking at the card and the bat, on the left area of the handle their is an 1 1/2 to 2 inch area of dark stain that was not shaved and is running towards the knob. It matches exactly. On the card, the area that was shaved with the natural color of the wood showing is a little light.
I'm looking at the bat right know and the same shaved handle area is a little darker, most likely from pine tar and gripping the bat. Their is a light coat of pine tar near the centerbrand on the bat.
You think I could get this photo of this card if I called Donruss? I tried getty images and they said the only way is thru the MLB website, I checked MLB site and they don't have this particular photo for sale?
I did a part trade/cash deal. I'm trying to get the photo from getty images and I'm awaiting a response from Old Hickory bats on regards to how many bats were ordered for Albert Pujols in 2002 with a brown barrel and cherry colored handle.
