Man who bought 'old' $1 baseball bat at garage sale didn't realize its value

One can trust garage sales to offer something unique once in a while.

Inspired reported one such unusual item found by Bruce Scapecchi of Des Moines, Iowa, when he went for a sale in 2013.

Scapecchi usually goes in the summer to about 5,000 garage sales. When he went to a sale organized by Sue McEntee, he noticed something underneath a table on the floor.

McEntee had organized the sale in her driveway. The buyer noticed a few baseball bats under the table.

There were mainly metal bats, but one particular bat grabbed his attention. He picked it up and knew it was different from the others in the bunch and certainly worth more than $1.

He simply walked over to McEntee and informed about the bat. He asked her, “Do you know what this is?”

Completely unaware of the significance of the equipment, he said it was a bat. Scapecchi then pulled her aside and said that she might have something special.

The man said that the bat once belonged to one of the best baseball players of all time – Jack Roosevelt Robinson, better known as Jackie Robinson.

He was the first African-American to play Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He added that the unique grip of the bat was Robinson’s style.

To confirm his suspicions, Scapecchi asked for a pencil. He gently rubbed one area on the bat and said that if one was out in the sun, they can see the name ‘Jackie Robinson’ engraved on it.

McEntee was quick to shift the bat from the ground, being sold for $1 to inside the house.

She had no idea that the bat once belonged to a legend of the game. In fact, her children had played ball with the bat in their backyard while growing up.

However, it was not a surprise how it ended in her house. Her uncle was Joe Hatten, who also played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The left-handed pitcher, whom everyone called ‘Lefty Joe,’ played baseball with Robinson in the 1940’s.

She was clearly fascinated to hear about the links between the two. She also revealed that her uncle was one of the few players who would room with Robinson.