Boxing and Wrestling Cards, Autographs and Memorabilia
19 Lots
»
Lot 9. Robert Cenedella Limited Edition Boxing Lithograph – “Unpopular Decision.” Cenedella’s mastery of fantasy and satire are evident in this detailed artwork from Bert Sugar’s collection. Signed in pencil by Cenedella, it is No. 54 from an edition of 300. The image is 23.25” x 25.75” on 25.5” x 28.75” paper matted and framed to 31.75” x 34”. The matt shows foxing especially at the top, and a couple of tiny spots are in the border of the print. We see no evidence of foxing in the lithograph itself. Nm-m attention-grabber!
Winning Bid $90.
Lot 320. Jack Johnson 1956 Gum Products “Adventure” Card #32. From a set that includes both sports and non-sport subjects, this card of the Hall of Fame boxer is titled Jack Johnson – Jabber.” And from a set that typically displays centering problems, this is a strong example. It is centered approximately 55:45 left-to-right and 60:40 top-to-bottom on the front. On the back, left-to-right centering is about 33:67, and top-to-bottom, 40:60. All four corners are sharp, and the surface is free of problems. Strong example. Nm-m to nm-m+.
Minimum Bid $50.
Lot 322. 8 Different 1940s-60 Wrestling Exhibit Cards. Brown-tint cards of Cyclone Anaya vg-ex, the Great Balbo g, Pete Bartu vg+ to ex, Bill Darnell vg, Billy Goelz vg+, Michael Leone vg, Roger Mackay vg+ and Hans Schnabel g. Also, an exhibit-sized card of Whipper Watson on relatively thin paper f. Watson once held the Canadian heavyweight title. Early in 1956, he defeated Lou Thesz for the world heavyweight championship, and then lost the title to Thesz later in the year. A star of the 1940s-50s, Darnell held National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation championships. Anaya was a champion wrestler Mexico before emigrating to the U.S. Several restaurants in the Houston area are named for him.
Winning Bid $7.
Lot 323. Wrestling Champion Lou Thesz Autographed 8” x 10” B&W Photo. In a career that spanned 1932-90, Thesz established himself as one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever. He won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times and held it for a total of more than 10 years, longer than anyone else. He invented the German suplex and the original powerbomb. In 1963, at age 46, he came out of semi-retirement and defeated Buddy Rogers for the heavyweight title, which he held for another three years. He died in 2002. Kevin Keating authenticated the signature, which is large, bold and nm-m 8 with a tiny smudge on the “L” and “o.” Scarce.
Winning Bid $35.
Lot 324. Max Schmeling Signed B&W Photo of Him Talking with President Franklin Roosevelt. Very large, bold nm-m 8 autograph that shows a couple of small imperfections. Kevin Keating provided the authentication. The photo is 8” x 10”. An International Boxing Hall of Fame member, Schmeling held the world heavyweight boxing title from 1930-32. He knocked out Joe Louis in 1936 and was knocked out by Louis, then the heavyweight champ, in 1938. He died in 2005.
Winning Bid $35.
Lot 326. José Torres, Hall of Fame Boxer, Signed Copy of Mike Tyson’s Biography. Torres also wrote a biography of Muhammad Ali. Light heavyweight champion from 1965-66, he also served as chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission from 1983-88 and president of the World Boxing Organization from 1993-95. He passed away in 2009. Torres’ book on Tyson is titled “Fire & Fear: The Inside Story of Mike Tyson.” He signed the dedication page of the 1989 apparent first edition hardback. His personalized signature is huge, mint 9 and authenticated by Kevin Keating. The book and dust jacket are ex.
Minimum Bid $7.
Lot 327. Autographs of Boxing Champions Gus Lesnevich and Featherweight Petey Scalzo. “Ring” Magazine’s Fighter of the Year in 1947, Lesnevich held the world light heavyweight title from 1941-48, and Scalzo, the featherweight championship from 1940-41. Lesnevich is in the World Boxing Hall of Fame. He was only 49 when he died in 1964, less than a year after signing this program. Scalzo passed away in 1993. Both autographs are in pen on the cover of a program for a charity boxing event that pictures Muhammad Ali as Cassius Clay. Lesnevich’s autograph is large and strong, nm-m 8 to mint 9. Scalzo’s is ex 5. Each autograph could readily be removed from the program and matted and displayed. Kevin Keating authenticated the autographs.
Winning Bid $25.
Lot 328. 33 1/3 RPM Record: “The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay!” In this album, Muhammad Ali and his “Gang” battle Mr. Tooth Decay and his sidekick, Sugar Cuba. The album jacket is ex with a number in the upper left. It is unopened. The record is inside and is assumed to be unplayed. Besides Ali, the jacket pictures Frank Sinatra and Howard Cosell on the front and Ali, Jayne Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Richie Havens and Ossie Davis on the back. Accompanying the album is an A. W. Sports 1991 card of Ali, #1 and vg-ex.
Winning Bid $15.
Lot 329. Rocky Marciano and James J. Braddock Biographies. Both are hardbacks. Author Everett M. Skehan autographed the Marciano book, which was published in 1977. Ex-library copy with minimal markings, dust jacket adhered to the book, mint 9 autograph on the flyleaf. Jeremy Schaap is the author of “Cinderella Man,” 2005, ex-library with a stamped date the only marking inside, dust jacket glued to book. Kevin Keating authenticated the autograph.
Minimum Bid $5.
Lot 330. LeRoy Neiman Boxing Print from the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. This 18.5” x 25.75” artwork showing two Olympics boxers was taken from a larger poster titled “Games of the XXII Olympiad, Moscow 1980.” The U.S. boycotted the Summer Olympics to protest the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. This Neiman artwork is matted and framed without glass to 24” x 32”. Nm.
Winning Bid $10.
Lot 332. Ticket for a Theater Telecast of the 1967 Clay (Ali)-Patterson Championship Fight. Cassius Clay and Floyd Patterson were scheduled to meet April 25 in Las Vegas, but the bout was blocked by the Nevada State Boxing Commission. Shortly before the scheduled fight, Ali had been stripped of his title and boxing license for refusing induction into the U.S. Army. The 3” x 5.5” ticket pictures both boxers and is ex-m. It is for a theater in Troy, N.Y.
Winning Bid $32.
Lot 380. Billy Conn Book – “The Boxer and the Banker” by J. Knox McConnell. This self-published 1984 hardcover tells the story of Conn and his influence on McConnell as a youngster. McConnell was eight when he met Conn at one of his first professional fights. As an adult, McConnell served as president of two large banks. The book is ex, and the dust jacket, vg+ with a scuff at the top of the front. McConnell signed the flyleaf with his middle name, “Knox.” The signature is mint 9 and personalized. Conn died in 1993, and McConnell in 1997.
Winning Bid $7.
