Collectibles On SI

How Was This The Only Pete Rose Topps Card With An Autograph??

One of Pete Rose's most important card recently sold, although its not near the same price has his most expensive, it could be just as iconic because its his first and potentially his last license MLB autograph.
Adam Palmer|
Reds great Pete Rose holds a star bearing his name at Great American Ball Park in 2016.
Reds great Pete Rose holds a star bearing his name at Great American Ball Park in 2016. | Sam Greene / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The baseball world was saddened by the passing of legend Pete Rose a few weeks ago. The debate about his Hall of Fame status will continue to be a hot-button topic within the sport and the sports card community.

Pete was notorious for being one of the most frequent autograph signers in the sport, but surprisingly, he did not have any MLB-licensed autograph cards until he was featured in this year’s 2024 Bowman product. The 1/1 autograph of his Bowman card recently sold for $11,224 through Goldin Auctions.

His rookie card from 1963 is card number #537 in that year’s set and also features three other players. Before rookies had their own solo rookie cards, as we see in modern sports cards, this was a common practice by Topps.

In 2021, an SGC 10 of Rose’s rookie card was sold through Goldin Auctions, and it remains his most expensive card, fetching $264,000. The card is a population of one and is considered Rose’s best card.

Like Rose, players such as Johnny Bench and Nolan Ryan also had another player featured on what is technically their first card. This is why Rose’s first solo card from 1964 is not technically his rookie card. This was how Topps handled baseball "rookie cards" in the 1960s.

Topps recently introduced a concept in Bowman products called the Retrofractor, featuring other legends like Babe Ruth, Johnny Bench, and Sandy Koufax. In the baseball card market, the First Bowman is widely considered the go-to rookie card.

When the Retrofractor concept was announced, Topps also revealed that it would include autographs and 1/1 Superfractors. Babe Ruth was one of the big names promoted to have this card, with Dave & Adam’s even offering a $200,000 bounty for the Babe Ruth 1/1.

The 1/1 and low-numbered autographs are typically the most expensive cards for most players. The Retrofractor allowed these legendary players to be included in new sets with a First Bowman. While the $11,224 sale isn’t close to the $264,000 record for Rose’s rookie card, this 1/1 will undoubtedly become one of Rose’s most important cards, especially since it will be the only licensed autograph card he has after his unfortunate passing.

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Adam Palmer
ADAM PALMER

Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.

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