This very unusual pair of hand-carved bats with connected baseballs was likely part of a display that could have been in an early sporting goods store or even a sports club/institution. Of exceptional quality and design, the remnants of the well worn original paint gives them a truly remarkable remaining "barn red" patina. The paint looks like it was left over from painting the local barn. Each is 31" long and from the 1870s or earlier based on their look, style of the equipment, and patina. From a high end, old time baseball memorabilia collection, these are fresh to the market, having been stored away for decades. They are blessed with old hand-forged nails and hand-carved dowel assembly. The balls themselves are huge in contrast to the bats giving them a look that bespeaks a very early period; perhaps even as far back as the Civil War! Don't miss this one, it is a major lot for the most sophisticated of collectors.