Louisville Slugger Metal Sign Baseball Bat Ad Poster New Vintage Repro USA Tin

Description

Louisville Slugger
Vintage Advertisement or Poster Reproduction
New 16" x 12.5" Metal Sign
Rolled Edges
Die-cut Corner Holes for Mounting
Desperate Enterprises
Model 1876
Made in USA
For sale is a brand new nostalgic Louisville Slugger metal sign. It is a reproduction of a vintage poster, sign or advertising for the company. It has been produced with faux wear, rust, chips and damage to add to the vintage look and feel.
J. F. Hillerich opened a woodworking shop in Louisville in 1855 making balusters, bed posts and other wood-turned household items. During the 1880s, Hillerich's 17-year-old son, John "Bud" Hillerich, began working as an apprentice at the company. An amateur baseball player, Bud fashioned bats for himself and his teammates.
Legend has it that one afternoon in 1884 Bud slipped away from work to watch Louisville's major league team the Louisville Eclipse. The team's star, Pete "The Gladiator" Browning, mired in a hitting slump, broke his bat. Bud offered to hand-craft a new bat for Browning to his specifications. The first day he used it Browning got three hits to immediately break out of his slump. Browning told his teammates, which began a surge of professional ball players to the Hillerich woodworking shop.
While the elder Hillerich had little interest in producing bats, Bud saw the potential and eventually won over his father. The bats were sold under the name "Falls City Slugger" until Bud Hillerich took over his father's company in 1894 and the name "Louisville Slugger" was registered. In 1905, Honus Wagner signed a deal with the company, becoming the first baseball player to officially endorse a bat.
Frank Bradsby, a salesman, became a partner in 1916, and the company's name changed to Hillerich and Bradsby. By 1923, H&B was selling more bats than any other bat maker in the country, and legends like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were all using them.
The blue sign with white printing has a baseball in the center with "Since 1884" and the Louisville Slugger logo. Above and below is "LOUISVILLE SLUGGER" with the tagline "TURNING PLAYERS INTO LEGENDS."
This durable sign is 16" x 12 1/2" in size with die-cut holes in each corner for easy hanging. It can be used outside or indoors. These signs are great for decorating the bar, man cave, cabin, garage, camp, lodge, home, office, or dorm room.
Made in the USA by Desperate Enterprises, the sign is brand new in mint condition. We get them directly from the manufacturer.
Please message with any questions. See our other listings for the similar signs available in other sizes.
Satisfaction Guaranteed. If you are not happy with your purchase for any reason, return it  for a full refund of the purchase price.
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