“Hey, Mick, did you see ole Charlie Hustle out there trying to catch that ball?” Hall of Fame pitcher White Ford sarcastically said to Mickey Mantle about Pete Rose after Rose attempted to climb the left field wall to catch a Mickey Mantle home run during a Spring Training game. Rose adopted the nickname and used it as a badge of honor that informed his intense style of play. Rose made an impact on the league early, earning the NL Rookie of the Year in 1963. Rose earned 17 All-Star selections at an unprecedented five positions and was a three-time NL batting champion and the NL MVP in 1973. Rose was a member of the Cincinnati Reds “Big Red Machine” teams that dominated Major League Baseball in the 1970s and won two World Series titles with the team during their unprecedented dominance. Rose is the MLB career hits leader with 4,256 hits recorded over 24 seasons as a player in the MLB.

Presented here is a lot of 10 items including four baseballs and six photos signed by the MLB all-time hits leader Pete Rose. The first item in this lot is an 18 x 15 photo on a blue matte of Pete Rose in his Philadelphia Phillies uniform. Rose played first base for the Phillies from 1979 to 1983 and was the missing piece to a Phillies team that struggled to get past the National League Championship Series, helping the Phillies win the World Series in 1980 and aiding them in returning to the fall classic in 1983. The presented photo is signed and inscribed “To Allan, good luck” with a blue marker across the photo. The signature and inscription are bold and the photo and matte are slightly bent.

The second item in this lot is an 18 x 15 photo on a blue matte of Pete Rose early in his career while playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Rose signed the photo with a blue marker. The signature is bold and the photo and matte are slightly bent. The third item is a menu from Pete Rose’s restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio. Numerous members of Cincinnati’s “Big Red Machine” teams opened restaurants in the Cincinnati region after their success on the baseball diamond, and this 17 x 8-inch plastic menu is labeled “Welcome to Pete Rose’s” in black, white, and red lettering. An image of a Reds hat adorns the front of the menu. “OPEN 24 HOURS EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY” appears on the front of the menu in black. The reverse side of the menu features the kids menu labeled “LITTLE LEAGUE CORNER” in black on the top of the menu with dinner items named after baseball positions. An image of rose in his Reds uniform is located on the bottom of the menu, and Rose signed across his image with a blue marker. The signature features some bleeding the menu displays elements of cornering and edging.

The fourth item is an 8 x 10-inch headshot of Rose smiling in his Reds uniform. Rose signed the headshot across his chest on the image with a blue marker. The signature is bold and the headshot is slightly bent and features some scratches across the headshot. The fifth and sixth items are a pair of 8 x 10 photographs of Rose when he set the National League record for consecutive games with a hit at 38, breaking Tommy Holmes mark of 37 on July 25, 1978 against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. Both photos are labeled “JULY 25, 1978 SHEA STADIUM, NY PETE ROSE SINGLES TO LEFT FIELD TO ESTABLISH A NEW NATIONAL LEAGUE CONSECUTIVE GAME HITTING STREAK RECORD THUS BREAKING TOMMY HOLMES’ PREVIOUS MARK OF 37 GAMES SET IN 1945. PETE WENT TO EXTEND HIS STREAK TO 44 STRAIGHT GAMES.” in white across the bottom of the photos. Rose signed each photo with a blue marker. The signature is bold and the photos feature slight elements of cornering and edging.

The seventh item in this lot is an Official Bowie K Kuhn 1980 All-Star Game ball signed by Rose. Rose was named to 17 All-Star games at five positions over his 24 years as a player in the MLB. “RAWLINGS” stamped in blue appears on the west panel of the baseball. “1980 ALLL-STAR GAME” featuring stars with the “LA” Dodgers logo, the host team, and the MLB logo inside appear in blue on the east panel of the baseball. Rose signed the sweet spot of the baseball with a blue marker. The signature features some bleeding the ball displays minor elements of toning.

The eighth item is an Official National League Charles S. Feeney baseball signed by Rose. “RAWLINGS HAITI” is signed in black on the west panel of the baseball. “CUSHIONED CORK CENTER RO-N” appears on the east panel of the baseball in black. Rose signed the east panel of the baseball with a blue marker. The signature features some bleeding. The baseball displays elements of toning throughout. The ninth item in this lot is an ONL Feeney baseball signed by Rose. “RAWLINGS HAITI” is stamped in black on the west panel of the baseball. “CUSHIONED CORK CENTER RO-N” is stamped in black on the west panel of the baseball. Rose signed the sweet spot with a blue marker. The signature is bold and the baseball features elements of toning throughout.

The 10th item is an Official Bowie K. Kuhn 1980 All-Star Game baseball signed by Rose. Rose was a reserve in the game at first base and had one at-bat for the National League during their 4-2 victory over the American League. “HAITI” is stamped in black on the sweet spot of the baseball. “1980 ALLL-STAR GAME” featuring stars with the “LA” Dodgers logo, the host team, and the MLB logo inside appear in blue on the west panel of the ball. “RAWLINGS” stamped in blue appears on the east panel. Rose signed the south panel of the baseball with a blue marker. The signature features light elements of bleeding and the baseball displays a minimal amount of toning throughout. This entire lot has been pre-certified by Beckett Authentication.

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