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Lot # 1000: 1910 Jack Johnson vs. Jim Jeffries "Great White Hope" Felt Pennant

Starting Bid: $1,000.00

Bids: 19 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Steel17",
which ran from 2/15/2017 10:00 AM to
3/17/2017 9:00 PM



A magnificent memento from a landmark moment in boxing history, this felt souvenir pennant dates to the World Heavyweight Championship bout between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries on July 4, 1910. The pennant itself measures 11x24" not including tassels, and is nicely framed to 14x33.5" It displays vertically, and this extremely rare issue has an actual image of the combatants in a circle in the middle, it lists the purse at $101,000, and has the date with "Reno" reading down the pennant. There's some creasing in the photo but nowhere else, a small hole near the top and another on the bottom left edge, and a few minuscule tears to the top right edge. Johnson, who had become the first African-American Heavyweight Champ, faced former champ Jeffries, who came out of retirement for the fight and was dubbed "The Great White Hope." Johnson dominated the aging Jeffries, and rioting after the knockout spoke strongly to the racial tensions of the times.

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