REUTERS/Peter Morgan
If not for a bout with gambling, how much more could the memorabilia have grossed?
The AP reports that the black Mizuno bat used by Rose for his 4,256th base-hit went for $158,776 on a Lelands.com auction. President Mike Heffner told the AP that a combination of a tough economy and personal controversies cut down the market price.
“I think Pete Rose memorabilia in general — you either love it or you hate it,” Heffner said in a phone interview Thursday. “There’s not a whole lot in-between.”