HUGE RARE VINTAGE 1941 OVERSIZE KREN BAT
JOSEPH KREN was a famous baseball bat maker
whose clients were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Hornsby, and others.
Like the Major League Baseball superstars he made bats for,
KREN, himself, was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the year 2000.
[He's in the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall. His tools were donated to the National Baseball Hall]
JOSEPH KREN immigrated from Germany in the late 1800's, and settled in the Syracuse (NY) North Side German community, where he founded his baseball bat (and billy club) industry in the late 1920's. He attended Syracuse's oldest Catholic church, ST. MARY'S CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION on N. Salina St., which serviced the spiritual needs of the German Catholic Community.
JOSEPH KREN turned this rare one-of-a-kind huge baseball bat
[Ah, but did he? Where's the logo?]
to be auctioned off at ASSUMPTION'S 1941 PICNIC.The names on the bat are the names of the parishioners who bought auction tickets - there were over 100!
The bat is 46" long, 5" wide at the top, and weighs about 7 pounds. The handle rim has a shallow chip (pictured below). There are multiple other mini-chips, scratches, rub marks, and paint spotson the bat, in addition to an eyehook hole, where it was hung at a home bar for years. Nevertheless, this may hold the distinction of being the largest KREN BAT in existence.
[Could be, but who's counting giants bats (but us)? Exactly how close to seven pounds is it? How big is that kid and what's the bat's length?]
KREN'S name does not appear on the bat, but it is obviously his craftsmanship.
[... obviously, since it's a bat that's too big and heavy to use in a game. Look at the sloppy label, clearly a master at work.]
I am sure that some people in Syracuse will be emailing me to see if any of their relatives names are on the bat. Since many of the names are faded and/or hard to read, I hope you will understand that I can only take the time to do the research for interested buyers.
[I'm sure you can imagine any name you wish]
A GREAT HISTORICAL SYRACUSE COLLECTIBLE and TRUE MUSEUM PIECE.
[... except for, uh, the "true" part, and, uh, the "museum" part]
This museum quality sports collectible is in FAIR to GOOD CONDITION.
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