George (Highpockets) Kelly spent most of his major league career (1915-1932) with the New York Giants. Known as “Highpockets” because his 6' 4” stature made him taller than most of his peers, Kelly was a favorite of manager John McGraw. The Hall of Fame first baseman was not only one of the top defensive players of his era, but also one of the National League's top run producers. Kelly averaged 18 home runs and 110 RBI per year between 1920 and 1925, leading the Giants to four pennants and two World Championships over that span.
The analysis of John Taube is so thoroughly detailed in this bats accompanying PSA/DNA LOA we’ve opted to present them here verbatim:
Description: Hillerich & Bradsby pre model George Kelly professional model bat is un-cracked
and exhibits evidence of excellent use. Several ball marks and ball stitch impressions are visible on
the right, left and back barrel. Cleat impressions can be seen on the right barrel. The center brand
has been double branded. The knob and top barrel display defined lathe marks. Kelly’s signature appears on the back of the barrel in red felt pen.
Labeling Period: The 1921-22 labeling period of this George Kelly professional model bat is defined by the center brand and the appearance of his script signature branded on the barrel. Referring to Vince Malta's book 'A Complete Reference Guide Louisville Slugger Professional Player Bats', the bat
features a C-3B center brand (pg.14) which appeared on Louisville Slugger professional bats from
1919 to 1922. Kelly's branded signature on the face of the barrel indicates Kelly was under an
endorsement contract with the manufacturer. Kelly's first contract was signed on October 20th,
1920. The contract enabled then Hillerich & Bradsby Company to use Kelly's image as well as the
likeness of his signature on their professional and retail line of products. Minus a contract Kelly's
name would appear on the bat in block letters.
We then referenced Kelly's Professional Bat Ordering Records (PBOR) on file at the Louisville Slugger Museum and of which we have copies, and found that after signing his endorsement
contract his first order for bats was placed on March 17th, 1921. Therefore, any George Kelly
professional model bat branded with Kelly's signature and a C-3B center brand was produced
between March 1 ih, 1921 and late 1922.
Vince's book is considered to be the definitive guide to the dating of Louisville Slugger
professional player bats and is used as a reference source by several of the countries leading
baseball museums including those of Louisville Slugger, the New York Yankees and Baseball's
Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Model Number: Though absent a model number on the Knob or face of the barrel we again
referred to Kelly's PBOR to see if a model could be determined. His PBOR notes between March 17th, 1921 and his final order of 1922 on September 30th Kelly placed 5 orders for bats, four of
which reference the model 'His 5-11-21', later assigned the model K9, and one calling for a 'C.Y.
Goodwin' model. The '5-11-21' model was ordered exclusively by Kelly from May 11th, 1921 to
April 7th, 1927. A search of our PSA/DNA database found that the knob, handle and barrel
dimensions of PSA/DNA Cert. # 1B04786, a George Kelly bat dating to the 1923/25 labeling
period, are virtually identical to the subject bat. We therefore attribute the bat as being a '5-11-21' model.
Player Characteristics: Eight George Kelly bats have been recorded in our PSA/DNA database
that can be attributed to being used by Kelly. One bat, PSA/DNA Cert. # 1B01853, displays player
characteristics that can be identified on the subject bat. The barrel of the bat displays cleat marks
and areas of a dark residue, resembling the tobacco juice residue we see on bats of Ty Cobb, as
surprisingly is also autographed by Kelly in red pen.
Many years ago several bats were sold by the Kelly estate and it's very possible this is one of those
bats. The similarities in the subject bat and the bat in our database lead us to conclude, in all
probability, the two bats were together at some point in time and the player characteristics displayed
on both bats are that off George 'High Pockets' Kelly.
Conclusion: After a thorough examination of this George Kelly professional model bat, and its
player use characteristics, it is our opinion the bat is authentic and was used by Kelly during the
referenced labeling period. The bat exhibits excellent use and possesses identifiable player use
characteristics. We have assigned the bat a grade of: GU 9.