WEST BERLIN, N.J. -- Pete Rose has signed hundreds of thousands of autographs in his life. But there's no doubt this is the most significant one.

It's his full name "Peter Edward Rose" signed on Aug. 23, 1989, on the last page of a five-page document, along with the signatures of then commissioner A. Bart Giamatti and deputy commissioner Fay Vincent, detailing his banishment from baseball.

Twenty-three years later, it's hitting the auction block.

"I feel this is the most important document in baseball history," said Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions, which will auction the document beginning Oct. 10.

A reserve price has not been set for the auction, but Goldin says he thinks it's worth more than the highest price paid for a baseball document -- the $996,000 paid in 2005 for the 1919 contract that sent Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees.

News of the auction did not surprise Vincent, who took over as commissioner after the death of Giamatti.

"Nothing surprises me anymore," Vincent told Willie Weinbaum of ESPN's "Outside the Lines" via email. "But there is a certain sense of the absurd in turning an agreement about the abuse of our great game into cash for the miscreant."

Despite the 225-page report produced for Major League Baseball by investigator John Dowd three months prior that concluded Rose indeed bet on baseball, the signed Rose agreement does not acknowledge that fact.

The agreement also details that the all-time hits leader will be put on the "ineligible list," although it allows him to apply for reinstatement.

When Goldin met with him in July, Rose said he signed two copies and his copy was in the hands of another person. Rose connected Goldin with that person, who consigned it to his auction under the condition of confidentiality.

Rose provided Goldin with a letter of authenticity for the auction. A call and a message left for Rose was not immediately returned.