pete rose* is in my hall of famer collection

as a baseball fan in the late 1970's, there was no escaping pete rose.  and, with the reds in the national league west, i had plenty of opportunities to witness his exploits on the field.  i was a fan, for sure.  rose also attended the hot stove banquet that took place in my hometown each offseason, and his may have been the first in person autograph i ever obtained.

obviously, pete is not in the hall of fame, but he is in my collection.  here's his 2018 panini flawless legendary signatures card, numbered 15/25:

here's the back:

as of right now, this is the only non-licensed card in my hall of famer collection. there will certainly be more, but i opt for licensed cards when there is a choice.

i saw pete rose play a few times in person, and i recently made it to a game in cincinnati for the first time. it was good to see his statue out in front of great american ballpark and his number 14 hanging among the other retired numbers.  i was very happy that he was allowed to be a member of the all-century team and take part in the on-field ceremony despite his permanent ban status, and maybe someday he will be allowed in to the hall of fame. he should not have bet on baseball, but he was a great player and one of my favorites to follow.

here's my hall of famer collection as its been documented so far:

babe ruth - 2003 topps tribute world series edition world series tribute relic 351/425:

jackie robinson - 2004 topps clubhouse collection clubhouse relics

hank aaron - 2004 topps originals 1979 topps all-time record holders rbi 03/32:

pete rose* - 2018 panini flawless legendary signatures 15/25

you can find the full list of hall of famers (and some not - yet) that i aim to include in this collection at my want list site.

*not currently a member of the hall of fame