Joe DiMaggio game-used bat bought for $147 now worth $100,000

Stephen Proctor
Updated ·2 min read

On Antiques Roadshow, a man brought in a baseball bat used by the late great Joe DiMaggio. He bought the bat at auction for $147 in 1976, which translates to about $680 in today’s dollars. The man said his wife wasn’t too happy with him because what he paid for the bat was almost as much as he made in a week. But it turns out it was a pretty good investment.

The bat has a very unique look, something the man asked DiMaggio about when he met him at an autograph signing in 1994, and DiMaggio explained to the man the process he went through with his bats.

According to the man, when he described the bat, DiMaggio responded, “Well, you got my bread-and-butter bat. I get a shipment and I go through the bats and pick the one that feels good. I dip it in olive oil, and I sprinkle rosin on it, and then I put it under a flame. When it sets, I sand it smooth.”

DiMaggio, who played 13 seasons with the New York Yankees, is remembered as one of the greatest hitters of all time, with a 56 game hitting streak that has yet to be beaten. And after paying so relatively little for a bat used by one of the greats, the bat’s owner was about to find out just how much it’s really worth.

“Auction records have been data-based for, you know, 20 [or] so years, I can find maybe about 50 examples that have come to auction,” The appraiser said. “I am super excited about this bat. I would place the value at auction of $80,000 to $100,000.”

Surprisingly, the owner of the bat actually contained himself and showed very little emotion whatsoever upon finding out the bat’s worth.

For more on Antiques Roadshow go to PBS.org.

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