This bat bears a paper label using the term "memorabilia," the earliest known use of the term we have seen. 1880s 37" Spalding Ring Bat with an interesting history. The Spalding trademark is very dark, legible and nearly untouched. The rings are faded but still visible. This bat has no cracks and a very nice original finish. The handwritten label, just above the uppermost ring tells the story behind this wonderful bat. The label reads, "1880...To be kept as MEMORABILIA...Bat with which S.M.C. made a total of ten bases on hits in one game while a member of the Hopkins Grammar School nine in 1880...Game between H.G.S. and Rough and Ready of New Haven...Score of 44-10 in favor of HGS." Note: We cannot balance how as a Yale Class of 1883 grad would have played for a grammar School team in 1880. It is a mystery. Recently discovered collection of bats used by Samuel M. Chase, a young Connecticut ballplayer who played for Yale in the early 1880s. Two of his bats bear paper labels with the word "memorabilia," the earliest known use of the term we have seen.