1964 Topps Pete Rose

While most of my vintage setbuilding attention this year has gone to '57 Topps, my 1964 Topps build is still simmering on the back burner. I've got a lot of the heavy lifting done (Mantle, Mays), but plenty of A-listers left for me to check off. Maybe the most daunting was Pete Rose's first solo card. Dare I say it's the most iconic card from the '64 set, with young Petey flashing a bright smile, as he seems to be beaming with pride over his Topps All-Star Rookie trophy.

I got this with the $15 off eBay coupon code from last week. I had first searched for some big-name '57 needs in my crosshairs. But no good deals jumped out at me on that front. Then I turned my sights on '64. Any good deals on a Clemente? Nope. Howbout Pete Rose? Yep! This one was a solid price, made better by the $15 discount.

I wanted to get a graded copy of this card for my own peace of mind. It's my understanding that early Rose cards are right there with Mickey Mantle when it comes to most counterfeited cards of the era. I didn't necessarily need a terrific condition card, though I'm very happy with a PSA 4, which is a pretty solid grade for my collection, as I generally don't mess with the $$$ of high-grade vintage.

As for Charlie Hustle here, well, he had a long, distinguished career that saw him become baseball's all-time hit king with 4256. His many achievements also include ROY, MVP, WS MVP, and 3 WS Championships. He was unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and lived happily ever after without even a hint of controversy surrounding him in the slightest ever.

Wow, 30 triples one year?!

Anywoo, you gotta admit it's a nice card. I doubt I'll ever pony up for his floating-heads '63 Topps rookie, so this '64 is likely destined to always be my best and earliest Pete Rose card. Nice to knock it off the list.