This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/19/2012
4192 is one of the most sacred numbers not only in baseball history, but in sports history. It represents a lifetime of hard work and a combination of skill and competitiveness that few men possessed to the degree that Pete Rose did. These traits in Rose are undeniable and drove him to surpass Ty Cobb’s seemingly unreachable mark and become Major League Baseball’s all-time Hit King. In the field of baseball card collecting, another seemingly unreachable mark is PSA’s coveted GEM MINT 10 rating, especially when this grading standard is applied to the 1963 Topps Baseball series. The offered example of Pete Rose's rookie card from the fourth series of this notoriously condition sensitive issue is impossibly fresh, appearing as sharp and vibrant today as it was the day it was printed nearly 50 years ago. Razor sharp corners and virtually flawless print earn this card its unrivaled GEM MINT 10 status. Overall, this masterpiece has defied every common fault that typically plagues the issue. Testament to the challenge in finding a Pete Rose rookie card without fault, it took 2,681 submissions to PSA before this single glittering specimen was crowned with their GEM MINT 10 designation. Regardless of his indiscretions, Rose’s significance to the game and his legacy, both as a great player who rewrote the record books and as one of baseball's tragic fallen heroes, ensures his place forever in the hearts and minds of baseball fans and collectors. His rookie card will always remain a classic, a card with a special story and significance. This example is quite simply the best in the world, and one of the hobby’s greatest treasures.