Not much of an article, but I have been asked once again about barrel variations for 1976. The issue is should a Hillerich & Bradsby product have the word Powerized? My answer to that is it could.
Pictured are Rose, Morgan, and Bench from 1976. The picture can be found on page 153 of “The Royal Reds: Baseball’s New Dynasty”. As you can see the Moragn bat is what is typically considered the style for a H&B product from 1976. This features the Liberty Bell logo and a model number on the barrel. The Bench bat however includes the word “Powerized”, a model number on the barrel, but NO Liberty Bell.
Would it be possible that there could be a version of this bat with both the word Powerized and the Liberty Bell logo? Of course and I have provided images of a 1976 Roy White bat with those very markings. Roy White’s personal bat records confirm his ordering of the R143 three times in 1976.
For what it’s worth, I have also seen bats from this year with the model number stamped both on the barrel and on the knob. As I have said countless times, do not dismiss a bat simply because it is not like the one you currently own. Take the time to study the topic in detail and buy what you are comfortable with.
As always, collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.
MEARS Auth, LLC
For questions and comments on this article, please feel free to drop me a line at DaveGrob1@aol.com