The master of baseball’s five tools, Willie Howard Mays Jr. is widely considered the greatest to ever play the game. The small-town Alabama native rose to stardom at the tender age of 20 when he was named 1951 National League Rookie of the Year, helping lead the New York Giants to their first pennant in 14 years. The 1954 World Series champ and two-time NL MVP became the first dual member of the 500 Home Run and 3,000 Hit clubs, finishing his career third all-time in both homers (660) and RBI (1,902) when he retired in 1973. The dynamic centerfielder won 12 Gold Gloves (still the most of any OF) and appeared in 24 All-Star games (second most ever). Presented here is a hobby-fresh Mays H&B gamer dating to his 1965-68 era in San Francisco when the “Say Hey Kid” won his second NL MVP and was still among the best all-around players in baseball into his mid-late 30s.

The Hillerich & Bradsby ‘S2’ professional model ash bat with a flame-burned finish (35" and 34 oz.) remains un-cracked with evidence of excellent use. Several ball contact marks and stitch impressions appear on the right barrel. Green bat rack streaks are visible on all sides. There is a moderate-to-heavy coat of pine tar running from the mid-handle to the center brand. Model number “S2” is stamped into the knob alongside what appears to be the bat’s measurements noted in pencil.

The side-written markings on the back barrel give this bat unique provenance as it was a special “archive” example for the Willie Mays Adirondack 113A model. As most Mays collectors know, he was under contract with both bat companies and used both brands in the late ‘60s. After getting its share of use by Mays, this S2 bat was returned to the Adirondack factory and marked on the back side with several short black notches, each a few inches apart, to be used as a template for the 113A. Like side-written Louisville Sluggers and vaulted bats, these archive exemplars are exceptionally rare and even more sought after. Recently authenticated by John Taube of PSA/DNA, the bat earned a nearly perfect GU 9.5 grade. Full paperwork is included with details of the bat’s Adirondack side-written history.