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Broadstruck
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Ever wonder where the Dance in the sport of Boxing originated from?
1789 Isaac Perrins, 1 Penny Condor Token, Warwickshire D&H-13, 34mm Copper
This huge 34mm diameter copper penny was struck to promote the upcoming fight between Perrins and Johnson and is tough to locate above XF condition without being holed for suspension, heavily scratched, or environmentally damaged.
Isaac Perrins:
Born in 1751 was an English bareknuckle prizefighter, engineer, and a man reputed to possess prodigious strength but a mild manner. He fought and lost one of the most notorious boxing matches of the era which was a physically mismatched contest against the English Champion Tom Johnson.
During the period when he was prizefighting Perrins worked for Matthew Boulton and James Watt manufacturers of steam engines at their Soho Foundry in Birmingham. He also traveled around the country and acted as an informant on people who were thought to have breached his employer's patents. In the later years of his life he also ran a public house in Manchester and undertook engineering work on his own account. He was appointed to lead the Manchester fire brigade in 1799 and died a year later in the performance of his duties.
Bareknuckle fighting was particularly popular during Perrins lifetime. Fights ran the risk of being classified as disorderly assemblies but in practice the authorities were concerned mainly about the number of criminals congregating there as the patronage of the aristocracy included royal princes and dukes and other wealthy people.
Isaac Perrins fighting Thomas Johnson in 1789:
London was the premier center for boxing because the aristocratic supporters of the sport. Birmingham was often portrayed as second only to London for the sport and in 1789 there were a series of challenges issued by fighters from the Birmingham area to opponents based around London. These challenges were intended to demonstrate the level of organization and confidence among the Birmingham boxers and their supporters. Three of these challenges were accepted, including that from Perrins to Tom Johnson. Perrins had already issued a general challenge offering to fight any man in England having already beaten all challengers in the counties around Birmingham.
The fight took place on 22 October 1789 and was billed as a battle between Birmingham and London as well as for the English Championship. The two men were around the same age but physically very different. Perrins stood 6' 2" tall and weighed 238 pounds while Johnson was 5' 10" and weighed 196 pounds. It was claimed that Perrins had lifted 896 pounds of iron with ease. The physical mismatch was later described as a fight between Hercules in the form of Perrins and Johnson as a Boy.
The first five minutes of competition saw neither man strike a blow and then when Perrins tried to make contact and Johnson dodged Perrins in return. Although Perrins held the upper hand in the first few rounds, Johnson then began to dance around the ring forcing Perrins to follow in order to make a fight of it. This shifting confused Perrins because the custom at the time was for the fighters to stand still and hit each other but the rules for this particular fight did not prevent it. Nor did they specify what should happen if a contestant fell to the ground which is what Johnson did in order to avoid being hit. Before long both fighters showed signs of their opponent's attacks with first Perrins and then Johnson suffering cut eyes and then further damage to their faces and by the fight's end Perrins head had scarce traces left of a human being. The fight lasted 62 rounds which took a total of 75 minutes to complete until Perrins became totally exhausted.
1789 Isaac Perrins, 1 Penny Condor Token, Warwickshire D&H-13, 34mm Copper
This huge 34mm diameter copper penny was struck to promote the upcoming fight between Perrins and Johnson and is tough to locate above XF condition without being holed for suspension, heavily scratched, or environmentally damaged.
Isaac Perrins:
Born in 1751 was an English bareknuckle prizefighter, engineer, and a man reputed to possess prodigious strength but a mild manner. He fought and lost one of the most notorious boxing matches of the era which was a physically mismatched contest against the English Champion Tom Johnson.
During the period when he was prizefighting Perrins worked for Matthew Boulton and James Watt manufacturers of steam engines at their Soho Foundry in Birmingham. He also traveled around the country and acted as an informant on people who were thought to have breached his employer's patents. In the later years of his life he also ran a public house in Manchester and undertook engineering work on his own account. He was appointed to lead the Manchester fire brigade in 1799 and died a year later in the performance of his duties.
Bareknuckle fighting was particularly popular during Perrins lifetime. Fights ran the risk of being classified as disorderly assemblies but in practice the authorities were concerned mainly about the number of criminals congregating there as the patronage of the aristocracy included royal princes and dukes and other wealthy people.
Isaac Perrins fighting Thomas Johnson in 1789:
London was the premier center for boxing because the aristocratic supporters of the sport. Birmingham was often portrayed as second only to London for the sport and in 1789 there were a series of challenges issued by fighters from the Birmingham area to opponents based around London. These challenges were intended to demonstrate the level of organization and confidence among the Birmingham boxers and their supporters. Three of these challenges were accepted, including that from Perrins to Tom Johnson. Perrins had already issued a general challenge offering to fight any man in England having already beaten all challengers in the counties around Birmingham.
The fight took place on 22 October 1789 and was billed as a battle between Birmingham and London as well as for the English Championship. The two men were around the same age but physically very different. Perrins stood 6' 2" tall and weighed 238 pounds while Johnson was 5' 10" and weighed 196 pounds. It was claimed that Perrins had lifted 896 pounds of iron with ease. The physical mismatch was later described as a fight between Hercules in the form of Perrins and Johnson as a Boy.
The first five minutes of competition saw neither man strike a blow and then when Perrins tried to make contact and Johnson dodged Perrins in return. Although Perrins held the upper hand in the first few rounds, Johnson then began to dance around the ring forcing Perrins to follow in order to make a fight of it. This shifting confused Perrins because the custom at the time was for the fighters to stand still and hit each other but the rules for this particular fight did not prevent it. Nor did they specify what should happen if a contestant fell to the ground which is what Johnson did in order to avoid being hit. Before long both fighters showed signs of their opponent's attacks with first Perrins and then Johnson suffering cut eyes and then further damage to their faces and by the fight's end Perrins head had scarce traces left of a human being. The fight lasted 62 rounds which took a total of 75 minutes to complete until Perrins became totally exhausted.
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
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