The question I'm asked most about bats is, "How can you tell a 'real' bat from a store bat?" What I hope to do in this section is explain the traits of professional model bats and provide information that can help date those bats to particular eras. There are few concrete rules when it comes to authenticating and dating bats, but there are many well-researched guidelines that can help.

Much of the information on these manufacturers was drawn from three books: Louisville Slugger, A Complete Reference Guide by Malta; Bats, Professional Hillerich & Bradsby and Adirondack, 1950-1994 by Malta, Fox, Riddel and Specht; and MastroNet Reference and Price Guide for Collecting Game-Used Bats by Bushing and Knoll.