The summer of 1968 found Mickey Mantle working on the final season of his Hall of Fame career. Since he debuted with the Yankees in 1951, Mantle had led the New Yorkers to seven World Championships while personally amassing three MVP Awards, four Home Run Championships, and a Triple Crown. He was selected to twenty All-Star teams and was credited with hitting some of the longest home runs in MLB history. And through it all, Mickey Mantle captured the hearts of millions of fans, evolving into one of the game’s most beloved players, his name becoming synonymous with being a champion. Just the season before he had become just the sixth player in history to reach the 500 home run club, and 1968 would see him adding the last 18, bringing his career total to 536. 36-year-old legend was third on the all-time home run list and had played more games as a Yankee than anyone in the history of the franchise. The 1968 season was bittersweet for The Mick as he struggled to find his form, averaging just .237, the lowest he’d ever hit in his two decades of professional ball. In fact, that last season brought his lifetime average below the .300 mark, leading him to later comment, "My biggest regret was letting my lifetime average drop below .300. I always felt I was a .300 hitter, and if I could change one thing that would be it."
While trying to find his groove, Mantle experimented with several brands, models, and weight/length configurations in 1968 as Hillerich & Bradsby M110 and S2 as well as Adirondack 288C model bats have been attributed to the Mick’s use during his final season. Offered here is a Hillerich & Bradsby S2 model. The C-18 style center brand narrows the bat to the 1968 period. What’s more interesting is that it can be narrowed down to a single order placed by Mantle on July 10, 1968. On that day the Yankees star ordered a dozen of the 34.5-inch S2 model bats, the only instance in the 1960s when he requested this model.
The Mick’s ’68 Hillerich & Bradsby S2 model bat is un-cracked and shows substantial use. Many ball marks with stitch impressions can be found on the right, left and back barrel. The knob and barrel ends of the bat shows much scuffing and abrasions from contact with the ground and there is a small piece displaced on the edge of the knob. There are bat rack paint streaks visible on the barrel along with abrasions from contact with other bats. The model number “S2” is stamped into the knob end and the ash has aged to a warm patina, giving this Mantle gamer a warm, appealing glow. The bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA who have graded this bat a GU 8.
ESTIMATE: $20,000+