Baseball legend Mickey Mantle’s illegal bat, confiscated by an umpire during the 1958 season, was purchased at auction by three Texas business partners for $40,000.

It’s believed that Mantle doctored the 35-inch long, 33.2-ounce Adirondack 302 model with the tip of a nail or a sharp tool to create a “ waffle-iron effect,” which would presumably make the ball carry farther, the ump noted.

The pockmarked bat was sold at Pennsylvania-based Hunt Auctions on July 10.