Pete Rose final hit bat

[CampWest]

Did he really say it could be near the amount of Babe Ruth's first Yankee Stadium HR bat??? I mean, it theoretically could, not like they'd stop taking bids, but is that realistic expectation?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5269169
CINCINNATI -- The black Mizuno bat that Pete Rose used for his final, record hit -- No. 4,256 -- is being auctioned by a New York firm that expects it to become one of the most expensive bats ever sold.
The 34-inch, 32-ounce bat is the featured item in a collection being sold through Lelands.com. Rose has authenticated the bat, saying he used it for his single off San Francisco's Greg Minton on Aug. 14, 1986. Rose is baseball's all-time hits leader.
Leylands.com president Mike Heffner says the highest auction price for a bat was $1.3 million, paid for the one that Babe Ruth used to hit his first homer at Yankee Stadium. Heffner thinks Rose's bat could go for something close to that amount.

[CampWest]

http://lelands.com/Auction.aspx/Auct...d-of-4256-GU10





Also, this is pretty solid, this guy has never been known to lie or mislead... So I'd feel 100% confident in hist statement...
"Rose has authenticated the bat, saying he used it for his single off San Francisco's Greg Minton on Aug. 14, 1986. "

[rj_lucas]

Well, if $1.3m is the target, on the over/under I'll take the under by a factor of 10x.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[legaleagle92481]

It won't go near the Babe's record. Ruth is unique in that anything he used or signed is sought after by loads of people many of whom are wealthy Yankee fans/collectors and something historic like the 1st homer at Yankee Stadium bat sets off a frenzy among the rich. Rose is hated by many, many people and while it is a great record that will never be broken it just does not have the same appeal.

[STLHAMMER32]

Who knows the bat could sell for an incredible amount....I mean we are talking about the all-time hits record in baseball here and we are talking about Pete Rose. It's a record that likely will not be broken, so i don't see that being a concern for a potential buyer. Pete has a tremendous following as well even though he is hated by some. The fact that he is controversial adds to the discussions about him and keeps his name in the news. Everyone knows the name "Pete Rose", young and old because of the controversy...that is hardly the case with some of baseballs greats even some of the most recent Hall of famers.

Controversial figures throughout history remain some of the most collectable because their name is something that is known and will be known for years....their controversy makes them more famous. They do not need to be the most loved. Murderers, bank robbers and theifs.....we can all think of one who's memorabilia would command an extremely high price at auction.

The fact that Pete Rose is who is and has the controversy surrounding him may not make him a better person but it sure doesn't hurt his game used memorabilia prices thats for sure.

In this economy will someone drop close to 1 million on it? Who knows, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

[rj_lucas]

The fact that Pete Rose is who is and has the controversy surrounding him may not make him a better person but it sure doesn't hurt his game used memorabilia prices thats for sure.

No doubt about that. Heritage Auctions is selling his 4000th hit jersey and they put it very well:

"And one cannot deny that significant precedent has been set by folks like Shoeless Joe Jackson and even by Ty Cobb, whose record Rose annexed, that misbehavior by our heroes will ultimately serve to add further intrigue to the tale, and further value to its related artifacts."

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[tacprc]

fyi, I communicated with Lelands regarding this bat, and Pete did not write his number 14 on the knob or barrel end.

[CampWest]

Well, if $1.3m is the target, on the over/under I'll take the under by a factor of 10x.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

I'd say you were pretty close...
132,867.08 winning bid, 158,776.16 price realized.