This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/19/2016
He never had a .350 season, never hit 20 homers or drove in 90 runs, and for all his glory as a gritty hustler, stole 20 bases in a season just one time. Oh, but what Pete Rose did do was show up every day and consistently deliver the level of excellence that places him at or near the top of the all-time list in several offensive categories. In his prime years from 1965 through 1980, Pete Rose played in 98% of his team's games and averaged 646 AB, 103 runs, 203 hits, 38 doubles and a .314 batting average. Rose was a three-time National League batting champion and stands as baseball's all-time champion in games, at-bats and hits, and ranks 6th in runs scored while fueling Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" to World Series Championships in 1975 and 1976 as well at Philadelphia's title in 1980. With such an unparalleled body of work, it's no surprise that Pete Rose's rookie card, part of the flamboyant 1963 Topps series, is one of the most desirable issues of the decade, especially when one can be found as incredibly fresh as this PSA 8 beauty. The blue colored edges and endpoints barely show even the faintest hint that this card was ever in circulation, while the brilliance of the red and yellow pigment can speak for itself. The centering, often a problem in the '63 series, is more than up to the task for a NM/MT specimen, not quite dead on perfect but well within the specs for such an elite assessment. Any great vintage collection needs a top-notch Rose rookie card, and this one certainly fits that description!