BUILDING A NEW SET... LINEAL BOXING HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS RC's
IRONMIKE
Posts: 30 ✭✭
I've been thinking about building a boxing card collection but want to have some focus on a specific 'set' to aim for. I'm leaning towards this list, which is every 'Lineal' Heavyweight Champion since John.L.Sullivan.
Looking at other threads, there is quite a bit of discussion on some of these fighters and what constitutes their 'rookie' card (Ali, Dempsey, etc), so for a few fighters I may look to pick up more than one card... Here is the list of champs and the dates of their reign as Lineal champ (some like Ali, Foreman, etc appear more than once as they reclaimed the title).
- John L. Sullivan (1885–1892)
- James J. Corbett (1892–1897)
- Bob Fitzsimmons (1897–1899)
- James J. Jeffries (1899–1905; retired)
- Marvin Hart (1905–1906)
- Tommy Burns (1906–1908)
- Jack Johnson (1908–1915)
- Jess Willard (1915–1919)
- Jack Dempsey (1919–1926)
- Gene Tunney (1926–1928; retired)
- Max Schmeling (1930–1932)
- Jack Sharkey (1932–1933)
- Primo Carnera (1933–1934)
- Max Baer (1934–1935)
- James J. Braddock (1935–1937)
- Joe Louis (1937–1949; retired)
- Ezzard Charles (1949–1951)
- Jersey Joe Walcott (1951–1952)
- Rocky Marciano (1952–1956; retired)
- Floyd Patterson (1956–1959)
- Ingemar Johansson (1959–1960)
- Floyd Patterson (1960–1962)
- Sonny Liston (1962–1964)
- Cassius Clay, changed name to Muhammad Ali (1964–1970; boxing licence suspended)
- Joe Frazier (1970–1973)
- George Foreman (1973–1974)
- Muhammad Ali (1974–1978)
- Leon Spinks (1978)
- Muhammad Ali (1978–1979; retired)
- Larry Holmes (1980–1985)
- Michael Spinks (1985–1988)
- Mike Tyson (1988–1990)
- Buster Douglas (1990)
- Evander Holyfield (1990–1992)
- Riddick Bowe (1992–1993)
- Evander Holyfield (1993–1994)
- Michael Moorer (1994)
- George Foreman (1994–1997)
- Shannon Briggs (1997–1998)
- Lennox Lewis (1998–2001)
- Hasim Rahman (2001)
- Lennox Lewis (2001–2004; retired)
- Wladimir Klitschko (2009–2015; from Ruslan Chagaev win)
- Tyson Fury (2015–2016; vacated)
A total of 38 different fighters to date.
Looking at following criteria when building the set;
- card to be already graded. (ideally PSA but not essential).
- I'd like high grade where possible and wait for the right one to come along.. for example i'd like a PSA10 or PSA9 for Holyfield's 1986 Browns card and would rather wait than just pick up a PSA7 for the sake of having the card.
- I'm going to say that i'm looking for each fighter's RC but where there is some dispute on exactly what that is (or what constitutes a "card") then i'll look at what the market has dictated as their most 'sought after' or valuable cards for each fighter.
Anybody have anything available please let me know..... i can't believe I need to look for a Shannon Briggs and Tyson Fury card! 
Comments
this is the initial update adding a card to each of the 38 champs... look forward to hearing any comments or other suggestions, especially the earlier guys.
Here's an existing registry set that has either rookies or key cards for most: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/misc-sports/all-stars/all-time-top-100-boxers-1886-2001/composition/10444
@LarkinCollector , Great, thanks! I will cross check against that list
I prefer the 1882 Mora Cabinet card for Sullivan
Always looking to buy or trade for Andre the Giant autographs
psacard.com/psasetregistry/non-sports/famous-personage/andre-giant-master-set/alltimeset/180400
For Ali I would go for 1962 Rekord Journal or 1965 Candy card:
Always looking to buy or trade for Andre the Giant autographs
psacard.com/psasetregistry/non-sports/famous-personage/andre-giant-master-set/alltimeset/180400
IMO, I'd go with the Hemmets for Clay, but I'd still take others before the Dutch Gum (labeled as Swedish Candy), such as the Rekord Journal and Chocolates Simon.
The Hemmets Journal is a nice early Ali collectible, but it should not be considered a card. The sheet was intended to be put into a ringed binder, hence the holes on the left side, not to be cut into fours. The design on the back prevents it to be cut evenly.
Always looking to buy or trade for Andre the Giant autographs
psacard.com/psasetregistry/non-sports/famous-personage/andre-giant-master-set/alltimeset/180400
The Ali debate is like asking people which early Ali cards they own themselves.
There are a few good candidates for an Ali rookie. There is no right answer. I still think that the simons chocolates card makes the best case. I just don’t like the size so picked the lampo for my personal collection. The lampo is the first pack issued card.... I think anyways. There was a thread here but the pics no longer work. They do here though. The best part about this type of project is that it’s really up to you.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/playercollectorsshowcase/cassius-clay-muhammad-ali-rookie-card-discussion-t812.html
I would go with 1922 Felix potin for the jack Dempsey rookie. The card presents well and is relatively hard to find compared to the other options from 22-23. His earlier cards are actually post cards I think. It’s been a while since I looked into his cards but that’s what I concluded when I was trying to pick what to use for my collection.
What a great idea. Please keep posting updates so I can follow.
IG: goatcollectibles23
The biggest lesson I've learned in this hobby, and in life, is that if you have a strong conviction, you owe it to yourself to see it through. Don't sell yourself, or your investments, short. Unless the facts change. Then sell it all.
Thanks. i'll take a look at that thread. I had read some other discussions on Ali & Dempsey and could see there was quite a few arguments for certain cards over others. I do love the look of that Dempsey Felix Poton card.. ultimately I may end up with more than one card for guys like Ali & Dempsey. I like a lot of the early Ali contenders.
Who'd have thought, so far the hardest card to locate is Tyson Fury...I can't even find a card for him at all yet !!
I suspect The Ring will dictate that whomever wins Wilder/Joshua when it happens will allow the set to continue...which is fun!
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Yes, that fight needs to happen! I actually just picked up one of these in anticipation of a Joshua victory!
Oooooh, I kind of like Wilder. Will be a great fight though. Lomachenko/Rigondeaux should be fun this weekend too.
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The Po-Po Ali is pack-issued, that's 1962.
As for Dempsey, I think it just comes down to collector's choice. I've seen the debates and, to be honest, I just abandoned the idea of Dempsey having a rookie. Plus, whatever anyone would choose as his rookie, he's got about 30 cards that are more interesting, more valuable, and rarer than his "rookie" so it's kind of a moot point in my mind. But that's just me. Everybody gets to decide how they want to collect.
Arthur
The PO-PO are discs though. Which some collectors might not want but it is certainly an option. Ali also has a perfetti card that has the same image as the lampo. For some reason I thought it was from 1967 but I can’t find where I read that. PSA labels it as 1965. There are a lot of good options to pick from. Text back lampo would be my choice though.
Frazier has a good looking card from 64
Joe Frazier 1964 Bobbie Bubble Gum Tokio
Yeah, the circle probably kills the Po-Po, along with its extreme rarity. It's too bad because otherwise it's a slam dunk -- issued in a pack, part of a multisport set, album, other boxers in the set, you name it. No one has any problems with the 1970 Baggioli set though and those are circular. That Ali sells for nice coin. I think no one is going to speak up for the Po-Po because no one has one. Everybody wants the one that they own to be the rookie.
Arthur
What are your thoughts on the recent Heritage sale of the Hemmets PSA9 ($40k!). Do you think that will go some way to separate that "card" from the others as his RC? I see other high (asking) prices around and it seems to be getting onto another level, price-wise, to some of the other contenders.
https://sports.ha.com/itm/boxing/1960-hemmets-journal-cassius-clay-muhammad-ali-rookie-23-psa-mint-9/a/7195-80091.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515
I think people own what they picked for the rookie rather than the other way around. That’s what I did anyways. I weighed all of the options and decided to go for the lampo. I should have got the text version when I had a chance a few years ago but didn’t pull the trigger. I wish the popo was a more traditional looking card. I would definitely try to find one. I love searching for hard to find foreign issues. South American cards are some of the most interesting and challenging to find. It’s much more interesting to me than a card that is on eBay any given day. It is sort of like the 77 maradona round card. I actually got a few packs of that issue and there were 2 rectangular cards and then the rest were pogs. Weird that they made sets like that. I really wish PSA would do a well thought out and researched article in smr about Ali and Pele rookies. I bet a lot of collectors who aren’t boxing or soccer card fans would still be interested in that topic.
does anyone know for sure which of these two cards is considered the Rookie card for TYSON FURY ? ?
Jeffery Freeman a write for " The Sweet Science " wrote an article on Boxing's ROOKIE Cards for Boxing Biggest Stars.
in which he states that the 2019 Topps Now card which most people title it as 2020, but on the back of the card it clearly
states 2019, Jeffery Freeman claims this is the Authentic Rookie card for Tyson Fury.
Tyson Fury has a Program Card made by SEIDMAN Program that has 2018.
does anyone know for sure which is Recognized as the Rookie card for Tyson Fury, Seidmans Program 2018 Card or Topps Now 2019 Card ? ? ?