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1908 Tommy Burns V Jack Johnson: £10 'D10' Ringside ticket (8.5…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
23-Aug-2022
Lot No.
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Description:
1908 Tommy Burns V Jack Johnson: £10 'D10' Ringside ticket (8.5 x 12 cm) for the greatest ever boxing match held in Australia, a heavyweight world title fight between Tommy Burns & Jack Johnson, held at Rushcutters bay Stadium on boxing day, Dec 26th, 1908. On reverse is an oval cachet for the fight's promoter Hugh D. McIntosh. The ticket has some faults, and is accompanied by the photograph frame it has been displayed in for many years. It is the only £10 ticket known, and is accompanied by a Richard Macdonald letter of authentication (12/7/2017). Provenance: - Inherited from the estate of the vendor's grandfather, who had bought the ticket and witnessed the fight. According to a 2014 Sydney Morning Herald article, Australia's foremost boxing collector, Jack Stitt, stated that he'd never seen a ticket for sale in 70 years of looking, and in the same article American boxing memorabilia expert David Bergin was quoted as stating that he'd only heard of one ticket coming on to the US market, which sold for US $5,200 on Ebay. It was for a 10/- ticket. Johnson became the first African American to win world Heavyweight Championship after defeating Burns over 14 rounds. Johnson had been denied a licence to fight for the belt in America due the colour bar, and had followed Burns around the world for 2 years in an attempt get his shot at the title. Australian entrepreneur Hugh McIntosh asked Burns how much he wanted to fight Johnson and when the fighter stated £6000, McIntosh accepted his demand with a handshake. An African-American winning the championship led to worldwide uproar and journalist Jack London, who covered the fight, coined the phrase 'Great white Hope' when musing as to which white boxer might take up the challenge to fight Johnson and reclaim the belt. N.B. A £10 ticket would equate to a cost of approximately $1,500 today.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified