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 flashy centerfielder won 12 Gold Gloves (still the most of any OF) and appeared in 24 All-Star games (second most ever). Featured here is a hobby-fresh Mays H&B gamer dating to 1967-68 when the “Say Hey Kid” at age 36 was still among the best all-around players in the majors for the San Francisco Giants.

The Hillerich & Bradsby ‘S2’ professional model ash bat has a hickory finish, an uncommon trait among Mays exemplars that is heavily coveted by serious bat collectors. Measuring 35" and weighing 34.6 ounces, it remains uncracked with evidence of outstanding use. A plethora of ball contact marks and blue bat rack streaks appear all over the barrel. A heavy coat of pine tar runs from the mid-handle to the centerbrand. The model number (“S2”) is stamped into the knob and Mays' iconic No. "24" is written there in faded marker. Another interesting characteristic is the black ring around the upper handle intended to disguise the bat as an Adirondack since Mays was under contract with both H&B and Rawlings during the late ‘60s. Recently authenticated by John Taube of PSA/DNA, the bat earned a perfect GU 10 grade due to its ideal player attributes, hickory finish, and use aesthetics.