Shoeless Joe's Bat Fetches Record $577K

S A N  J O S E, Calif., Aug. 8 -- "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's famed bat,Black Betsy, will soon move to an office in Pottsdown, Pa. after a30-year-old businessman won an Internet auction.

Rob Mitchell agreed to pay $577,610 for one of sports' mostfabled artifacts. It's believed to be the highest price ever paidfor a baseball bat. The 10-day eBay auction attracted only two bidders - one of whomdid not enter until the final five minutes. The winning bid wasmade by Mitchell, who owns a marketing company and plans to displaythe bat in the company offices for now.

Shocked by Bargain Price

"I was shocked for what the bat went for," he said. "I thinkthe bat's worth somewhere between $1.7 million and $4 million. Ithink if it's not the best, it's in the top five best buys everrecorded in the memorabilia industry — baseball or any othersport." A few other people had put down the $25,000 deposit required formaking a bid on the bat but never placed an offer, said KevinHammond, chief executive of consignment company Real Legends Inc. Before the auction began, Hammond suggested that Black Betsycould challenge the record $3.05 million a collector paid for MarkMcGwire's 70th home run ball. But he said he was not disappointedin the final price, $525,100 plus a 10 percent buyer's premium.

Seller a Little Disappointed

The seller was Lester Erwin of Easley, S.C., who kept the bat ona bookcase for decades after inheriting it from Jackson's widow in1959. "Obviously with all the hype that's been done in the media,there has to be a little disappointment," he said Tuesday night."But how can you be real disappointed with a half-million? I thinkwhoever ended up with it got a steal." Jackson, who holds baseball's third-highest career battingaverage, used the warped hickory bat throughout his major leaguecareer and in semipro leagues after being banished for allegedlyjoining in the fix of the 1919 World Series. Jackson still hasardent supporters who say he had nothing to do with the fix andshould be allowed into the Hall of Fame.