99 bats signed by Sir Donald Bradman to return to Australia

For more than two decades they sat carefully wrapped in a Texas storage unit – 99 cricket bats signed from Australian legend Sir Donald Bradman. But now the bats are back home. FIND OUT WHY.

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For two decades, 99 cricket bats signed by Sir Donald Bradman sat carefully wrapped up in a cage in a Texas storage unit, forgotten by everyone but the man who bought them.

American sports memorabilia businessman Rauan Klassnik purchased the bats and had Bradman – who averaged 99.94 in Tests – sign them all in 1998.

Klassnik believed they’d have huge resale value in the United States.

But it appears the legend of The Don didn’t resonate in American even after Bradman’s passing just three years later.

Sir Donald Bradman in the nets. Picture: Popperfoto

The 99 signed bats are now being returned to Australia, and will be given to charities and community sports groups who can use them to raise money.

Ms Klassnik came to personally meet Bradman and collect the signed bats as part of an investment strategy.

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“Despite being based in the US where cricket isn’t a mainstream sport, being originally from South Africa we grew up big cricket fans,” Klassnik told The Sunday Telegraph.

“Through our business in Dallas, Texas, we approached Richard Mulvaney back in 1998, who at that time was the director of the Bradman Foundation, to see if there was any way we could obtain Bradman bats. We were expecting the memorabilia market to mature for cricket and for there to be a huge global demand for Bradman’s bats.”

Sir Donald Bradman signing the cricket bats in 1998.

Each of the signed bats come with a certificate of authenticity.

Auction company Helping Hand Group co-founder Oliver Slobodetsky, who has known Mr Klassnik for many years, said: “He was hoping they’d be like a fine wine, he put it in a cellar, but now he’s semi-retired and scaling down and sent me an email asking if we’d be interested in buying them,”

American sports memorabilia businessman Rauan Klassnik.

Helping Hand will sell the bats to charity groups for a margin, and the charities can sell them at action for fundraising.

“It was perfect, I thought we should bring them back to Australia where they belong,” Ms Slobodetsky said.

Helping Hand general manager Belinda Smith. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Jamison Makomaski, 4, with the signed bats. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“A lot of people don’t know this but Bradman signed anything and everything he could to almost devalue his signature, he believed everyone should have the opportunity to have signed memorabilia of his, so there are a lot of miniature bats, caps and that sort of thing around.

“But being in the industry for a while, I know that these bats will be valuable back in Australia because they’re full sized and Bradman signed the bats on the wood, whereas most bats being sold online have Bradman’s signature on a piece of paper mounted onto the bats.

Klassnik wouldn’t reveal how much he initially paid for the 99 bats, but conceded it “was a lot”.

The Helping Hand Group has donated one of the Bradman bats to The Sunday Telegraph and a special charity campaign to raise money will be announced next week.

For more details contact Helping Hand Group co-founder Richard Ernster via helpinghand.com.au

Originally published as 99 bats signed by Sir Donald Bradman to return to Australia