Extremely rare L.C. Dole & Company bat (36") was used by S.M. Chase, a young Connecticut ballplayer who played for Yale in the early 1880s. It is a very light weight yet quite long, which is not uncommon for the time period but quite interesting and extremely rare. The decorative rings are pressed as well as highlighted with ink so they're more noticeable on the bat's light and warm golden finish. The player's initials "S. M. C." are handwritten in ink as well as underlined identifying the owner. The simple trademark is dark, legible and virtually untouched with an interesting logo prominent in the center. This bat does show game use with some beautiful ball marks right on the sweet spot. There are some long thin cracks present that run down the length of the bat but hardly take away from this interesting example of early baseball. Recently discovered collection of bats used by a young man named Samuel M. Chase, a young Connecticut ballplayer who played in the early 1880s. Three of his bats bear paper labels with the word "memorabilia," the earliest known use of the term we have seen.