Fresh off the sale of hundreds of baseball items including a new find of 1914-15 Cracker Jack baseball cards, Love of the Game’s first boxing-exclusive auction is open.
The “Rin
gside” catalog, set to close Saturday, includes 250 lots of boxing-specific cards and memorabilia, and is curated by Love of the Game Auctions in conjunction with Adam Warshaw, author of America’s Great Boxing Cards.
Items date from the 19th century to the present, highlighted by one of only three known examples of the 1910 E125 American Caramel Die-Cuts Jack Johnson. The card, now incorporated as an option in PSA’s Jack Johnson Player Registry, has been graded Authentic by PSA. It’s the only example of the three that has been ecapsulated by PSA.
“It was our goal to present an Inaugural Auction with great variety and historically significant materials, and we think we’ve achieved that,” says LOTG’s Al Crisifulli.
PSA Registry Sets
The auction features a number of complete sets, including several top Registry sets. Possibly the most rare is the 1928 Chocolate Jaime Boix Die Cut set that currently ranks as the top-rated set. The set was issued in Barcelona and features die-cut cards of the most famous prizefighters of the era, including Jack Johnson, Jim Jeffries, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney and more.
Another complete set that ranks #1 on the PSA Registry is the 1923 Burstein Isaacs & Co. “Famous Prize Fighters” set. This high-grade set includes 14 cards that are the highest-graded example with populations of just one card. Indeed, just 15 of the cards in the set are not the highest-grades possible, with just one card graded under EX-MT 6.
The auction also features a 1910 T225 Khedival Co. complete set that ranks #3 on the PSA Registry, a 1911 T225 Surburg Co. set that ranks #2 on the PSA Registry, a 1910 E76 American Caramel Blue Back complete PSA-Graded set, and a 1910 T220 Mecca Silver Borders near-set that, despite being missing two cards, still ranks #2 on the Registry.
Boxing Rarities
Highlighted by a rare 1910 T220 Mecca Silver Border Jas J. Corbett, the auction features a number of extreme boxing rarities. The Corbett card was single-printed in the set, and with just four PSA-graded examples known, many collectors give up or consider their T220 Silver Border sets complete without the Corbett.
The auction also features a rare 1920s E282 Oh Boy (Goudey) Gum Tom Mix & Jack Dempsey, the only example to have been graded by any company.
Other extreme rarities include the highest-graded 1910 T229 Kopec Cigarettes Abe Attell, a 1910 T229 Pet Cigarettes Jack Johnson, the only known 1920s Concurso Caramelos “Actuales” Jack Johnson, and a 1931 Evaristo Juncos Jack Johnson. Also offered are eight different examples from the rare 1938 NX5 American Sweets Knock-Out Gum issue.
The auction also features individual lots that contain the largest groupings of certain rare issues that collectors are likely to see in one place. Counted among them are 1840 Boxiana Copper Etchings (59 
different, including 21 Hall of Famers), and a fantastic collection of 16 cards from the rare 1923 Wesley Andrews Dempsey-Gibbons real photo postcard issue.
Other groupings of rare cards include a collection of three 1910 T9 Turkey Red boxing cabinets with “no offer” backs, a collection of five 1912 Cohen Weenen & Co. Jack Johnson cards including several variations, a collection of 51 of the 60 cards from the 1931 Cigarrerra Bigott set, a group of 41 cards from the rare E. Quintana Doble Aguila Venezuelan set, a group of 33 cards from the rare French 1933 Globo Chewing Gum issue, a complete 1946 Kid Herman “Base” set, and a collection of 34 cards from the scarce Scottish “Kiddy’s Favourites” issue from the 1950s.
Memorabilia
The auction features a host of memorabilia, including photos, autographs, tickets, publications, press photos, and promotional items from the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney, Joe Louis, Jim Jeffries, Benny Leonard, and more.
The final date to bid in this auction is Saturday, November 26. To register for the auction and review the selection online, visit http://www.loveofthegameauctions.com.
For more information, or to consign items to future sports auctions, contact Love of the Game at [email protected] or (973) 452-9147.
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