curious -- roughly how many boxing cards do you yourself own ?
Thank you galaxy, I own none of these cards! I wish I owned them all, LOL. I'm creating sort of a museum, showcasing the photos that were used for the images on these sweet boxing cards. It's a little project I've always wanted to do, and I'm finally getting around to it. One thing though, it's frustrating as heck at times, a lot of photos have been lost to history and time, but I'm still getting a lot of good stuff in here! 👍
1886 N167 - Old Judge Cigarettes - Jack McAuliffe. This is the kind of thing that makes you sick, only half of the photo that was used for the image on this card is available.
Up next, we have Packey McFarland. A tough Irishman that learned his trade in the Chicago stockyards, he actually discovered he could fight when he knocked out a fellow employee during a lunch-hour fight and decided to enter the hurt business. He competed primarily as a Lightweight (with a limit of 133 lbs during his era, the early 1900s) and frequently moved up to compete as a Welterweight. He was dominant, he was defeated once in 104 fights and is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters never to win a world title. Because early boxing fans favored knockouts, he began his career as a knockout artist, he could definitely crack, if you look at his career record you'll see he iced almost half of his opponents, but as his career developed he learned his trade, became a great scientific boxer and preferred to win his bouts on points. Legendary fighter. This would be his rookie card, the 1909 James Jeffries playing Cards - Jack of Spades - Packey McFarland.
"Terrible" Terry McGovern, bantamweight and featherweight in the early 1900s, and he didn't get that nickname for no reason, he was one of the most destructive fighters in boxing history, a hard hitting machine, he left a trail of broken bodies on his way to the bantamweight and featherweight crowns. Not much for fancy maneuvers, McGovern simply went after his opponents with a ferocious will to win. This is his rookie card, the 1902 Ogden's General Interest Series F - Terry McGovern.
This is my favorite photo of Terry McGovern, sitting on a backwards chair in a stairwell hallway at the Chicago Daily News building in 1905. Quite a few boxers from that era were photographed in that stairwell.
Music break. Hard to believe Elizabeth Wolfgramm was only 11-years old when her voice was recorded for this song. Because she was too young to understand the romantic lyrics, her manager famously instructed her to sing the song while imagining she was singing to a puppy.
Jimmy McLarnin has many nicknames but my favorite is "The Irish Lullaby", a nickname he earned because he was a gifted boxer with a dangerous right hand that could put an opponent to sleep in an instant. Barney Ross, Jackie Fields, Young Corbett III, Benny Leonard, Lou Ambers, Sammy Mandell, Tony Canzoneri, Louis "Kid" Kaplan, Sid Terris, Charles "Bud" Taylor, Pancho Villa, Fidel LaBarba. That's 12 Hall of Fame scalps under his belt. Simply put, he's one of the greatest fighters that ever lived. This is the 1948 Leaf Gum - Jimmy McLarnin.
Sam McVey, "The Oxnard Cyclone", is up next, he was a hard hitting heavyweight back in the early 1900s, he won 74 fights and 60 of those opponents got stretched out by McVey. He's a legendary fighter, he stood a shade over 5"10' and weighed around 200 lbs but the guy was built like a brick shithouse. He was African American so he was shut out of the title picture because of the racism of the times, he was forced to fight other black heavies. He fought Sam Langford 15 times, Harry Wills 5 times, and Joe Jeannette 5 times. On April 17, 1909, Sam McVey and Joe Jeannette waged one of the most brutal wars ever witnessed in a boxing ring in Paris, France. During that fight, he knocked Jeannette down 27 times and was put on the deck 11 times himself before he was forced to quit in round 50 because his eyes had been swollen to the point he could no longer see. Just a beast of a fighter. This is the 1909 James Jeffries Playing Cards - Jack Johnson / Sam McVey.
Like I mentioned earlier, Sam McVey knocked out 60 of his opponents, he was a dangerous puncher. Jack Johnson certainly felt his power, they fought three times.
“He carried a heavy one-two punch with his left that you had to watch out for always… That left wanted all the eyes you could spare! He wasn’t a man you could take chances with [and] that left is something you can’t estimate.”
1922 Felix Potin - Sam Mac Vea. His last name has been spelled a few different ways, I'm honestly not sure what the correct spelling is of his last name.
It's really a shame there aren't more trading cards of Sam McVey, and it's a shame that a lot of these boxers don't have more trading cards. I'll tell you what, if I had the knowledge and skills to make cards, I'd be making sets every year of these legendary fighters, past and present. I'd give a tip of the hat to some of the rare sets of the past, a set with the design of the 1938 American Sweets, a set with the design of 1927 York Caramel Prizefighters, 1927 Hudden & Co. , 1910 Robertson Candy, 1937 Globo Chewing Gum and so on. Imagine a Marvin Hagler card with the design of the 1938 American Sweets, a Bobby Chacon card with the design of 1927 York Caramel, an Azumah Nelson card with the design of 1927 Hudden & Co., a Carmen Basilio card with the design of 1910 Robertson Candy, an Ike Williams card with the design of 1937 Globo Chewing Gum, and you could make chase cards in each set, 1/20, 1/10, 1/5, 1/1, give collectors something to search for. My goodness, the possibilities are endless.
Nice early 1900s French postcard of Sam McVey. Just wow, he was built like a damn tree trunk. He was a feared fighter in his day, always a threat to take you out with his brutal punching power.
Sammy Mandell was primarily known by two nicknames: "The Rockford Sheik" (due to his movie-star good looks resembling Rudolph Valentino) and the "Rockford Flash" (referencing his incredible hand and foot speed). He was the undisputed world lightweight champion from 1926 to 1930. Wins over Johnny Dundee, Sid Terris, Rocky Kansas, Billy Petrolle, Jackie Fields, Jimmy McLarnin, and Tony Canzoneri. That's one f@$& of a resume. Sammy Mandell is a certified all-time great. This is the 1926 Spalding Champions - Advertisement Back - Sammy Mandell. I apologize for the piss-poor scan, it's a rare card and the best scan I could muster.
This is my favorite photo of Sammy Mandell, sitting in his corner getting ready to go at Rocky Kansas in 1926. The expression on his face, it's just a wicked image.
Freddie Miller from Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the greatest featherweights in boxing history. A clever southpaw with a granite chin, he was world featherweight champion from 1933 to 1936, in which time he laid waste to the entire division. He was truly a world champion, defending his title all over the globe, England, Spain, South Africa, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Ireland, Canada, Belgium, as well as 18 different states in America. This guy had 248 fights in his career, a real iron man. This is his rookie card, the 1935 United Tobacco Co. - World Famous Boxers - Freddie Miller.
Even though I can't seem to find any decent photos of him that match up with the few cards that he does have, I want to get Billy Miske in here because simply put, the guy was a damn beast. Another pound-for-pound monster from the early 1900s, he was a clever boxer with cracking power that fought from middleweight up to heavyweight. Holds wins over Harry Greb, Tommy Gibbons, Jack Dillon, Battling Levinsky, Mike O'Dowd. But it's the fact that this guy fought with two failing kidneys because he needed to support his family that really gets me. He could barely stand from the pain of Bright's disease when he stepped in the ring one last time in November of 1923 and against all odds knocked out heavyweight Bill Brennan, a fight he took so he could provide his family with a good Christmas. Like I said, a beast. This is the 1920 W519 Strip Card - Billy Miske.
Comments
1950 Joe Palooka Candy - Jack McAuliffe.
2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions - Jack McAuliffe.
@Saint Ezzard
some very sweet pieces of cardboard
curious -- roughly how many boxing cards do you yourself own ?
Thank you galaxy, I own none of these cards! I wish I owned them all, LOL. I'm creating sort of a museum, showcasing the photos that were used for the images on these sweet boxing cards. It's a little project I've always wanted to do, and I'm finally getting around to it. One thing though, it's frustrating as heck at times, a lot of photos have been lost to history and time, but I'm still getting a lot of good stuff in here! 👍
1886 N167 - Old Judge Cigarettes - Jack McAuliffe. This is the kind of thing that makes you sick, only half of the photo that was used for the image on this card is available.
Up next, we have Packey McFarland. A tough Irishman that learned his trade in the Chicago stockyards, he actually discovered he could fight when he knocked out a fellow employee during a lunch-hour fight and decided to enter the hurt business. He competed primarily as a Lightweight (with a limit of 133 lbs during his era, the early 1900s) and frequently moved up to compete as a Welterweight. He was dominant, he was defeated once in 104 fights and is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters never to win a world title. Because early boxing fans favored knockouts, he began his career as a knockout artist, he could definitely crack, if you look at his career record you'll see he iced almost half of his opponents, but as his career developed he learned his trade, became a great scientific boxer and preferred to win his bouts on points. Legendary fighter. This would be his rookie card, the 1909 James Jeffries playing Cards - Jack of Spades - Packey McFarland.
Check out this example, a PSA 10.
1909 James Jeffries Playing Cards - Four of Diamonds - Packey McFarland/Jimmy Britt.
1910 E78 - Anonymous Prize Fighters - Packey McFarland.
1923 W580 Strip Card - Packey McFarland.
2026 Starpop - Golden Icon - Packey McFarland.
Police Gazette - Gallery of Champions - Packey McFarland.
Boxing Magazine Supplements - Packey McFarland.
"Terrible" Terry McGovern, bantamweight and featherweight in the early 1900s, and he didn't get that nickname for no reason, he was one of the most destructive fighters in boxing history, a hard hitting machine, he left a trail of broken bodies on his way to the bantamweight and featherweight crowns. Not much for fancy maneuvers, McGovern simply went after his opponents with a ferocious will to win. This is his rookie card, the 1902 Ogden's General Interest Series F - Terry McGovern.
1908 Ogden's Cigarettes - Pugilists & Wrestlers - Terry McGovern. This issue is famous for putting shirts on the boxers.
1910 E75 - American Caramel - Black Back - Terry McGovern.
1910 T220 - Champion Athlete and Prize Fighters - Terry McGovern.
1910 E80 - Philadelphia Caramel - 44 Scrappers - Terry McGovern / Young Corbett.
2026 Starpop - Golden Icon - Terry McGovern.
Awesome shot of Terry McGovern posing in front of the famous Cliff House in San Francisco in 1901.
This is my favorite photo of Terry McGovern, sitting on a backwards chair in a stairwell hallway at the Chicago Daily News building in 1905. Quite a few boxers from that era were photographed in that stairwell.
Battling Nelson posing in the Chicago Daily News stairwell.
Young Corbett II posing in the Chicago Daily News stairwell.
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien posing in the Chicago Daily News stairwell.
Music break. Hard to believe Elizabeth Wolfgramm was only 11-years old when her voice was recorded for this song. Because she was too young to understand the romantic lyrics, her manager famously instructed her to sing the song while imagining she was singing to a puppy.
Jimmy McLarnin has many nicknames but my favorite is "The Irish Lullaby", a nickname he earned because he was a gifted boxer with a dangerous right hand that could put an opponent to sleep in an instant. Barney Ross, Jackie Fields, Young Corbett III, Benny Leonard, Lou Ambers, Sammy Mandell, Tony Canzoneri, Louis "Kid" Kaplan, Sid Terris, Charles "Bud" Taylor, Pancho Villa, Fidel LaBarba. That's 12 Hall of Fame scalps under his belt. Simply put, he's one of the greatest fighters that ever lived. This is the 1948 Leaf Gum - Jimmy McLarnin.
1991 Japan World Boxing Premiums - Jimmy McLarnin.
Police Gazette - Gallery of Champions - Jimmy McLarnin.
1991 All World - Jimmy McLarnin.
Sam McVey, "The Oxnard Cyclone", is up next, he was a hard hitting heavyweight back in the early 1900s, he won 74 fights and 60 of those opponents got stretched out by McVey. He's a legendary fighter, he stood a shade over 5"10' and weighed around 200 lbs but the guy was built like a brick shithouse. He was African American so he was shut out of the title picture because of the racism of the times, he was forced to fight other black heavies. He fought Sam Langford 15 times, Harry Wills 5 times, and Joe Jeannette 5 times. On April 17, 1909, Sam McVey and Joe Jeannette waged one of the most brutal wars ever witnessed in a boxing ring in Paris, France. During that fight, he knocked Jeannette down 27 times and was put on the deck 11 times himself before he was forced to quit in round 50 because his eyes had been swollen to the point he could no longer see. Just a beast of a fighter. This is the 1909 James Jeffries Playing Cards - Jack Johnson / Sam McVey.
Like I mentioned earlier, Sam McVey knocked out 60 of his opponents, he was a dangerous puncher. Jack Johnson certainly felt his power, they fought three times.
“He carried a heavy one-two punch with his left that you had to watch out for always… That left wanted all the eyes you could spare! He wasn’t a man you could take chances with [and] that left is something you can’t estimate.”
1909 Ogden's Cigarettes - Pugilists & Wrestlers - Sam McVey.
1922 Felix Potin - Sam Mac Vea. His last name has been spelled a few different ways, I'm honestly not sure what the correct spelling is of his last name.
It's really a shame there aren't more trading cards of Sam McVey, and it's a shame that a lot of these boxers don't have more trading cards. I'll tell you what, if I had the knowledge and skills to make cards, I'd be making sets every year of these legendary fighters, past and present. I'd give a tip of the hat to some of the rare sets of the past, a set with the design of the 1938 American Sweets, a set with the design of 1927 York Caramel Prizefighters, 1927 Hudden & Co. , 1910 Robertson Candy, 1937 Globo Chewing Gum and so on. Imagine a Marvin Hagler card with the design of the 1938 American Sweets, a Bobby Chacon card with the design of 1927 York Caramel, an Azumah Nelson card with the design of 1927 Hudden & Co., a Carmen Basilio card with the design of 1910 Robertson Candy, an Ike Williams card with the design of 1937 Globo Chewing Gum, and you could make chase cards in each set, 1/20, 1/10, 1/5, 1/1, give collectors something to search for. My goodness, the possibilities are endless.
Nice early 1900s French postcard of Sam McVey. Just wow, he was built like a damn tree trunk. He was a feared fighter in his day, always a threat to take you out with his brutal punching power.
He was built for power, that's for sure.
2005 Helmar Brewing Co. - Potato Chip Issue - Sam McVea.
Sammy Mandell was primarily known by two nicknames: "The Rockford Sheik" (due to his movie-star good looks resembling Rudolph Valentino) and the "Rockford Flash" (referencing his incredible hand and foot speed). He was the undisputed world lightweight champion from 1926 to 1930. Wins over Johnny Dundee, Sid Terris, Rocky Kansas, Billy Petrolle, Jackie Fields, Jimmy McLarnin, and Tony Canzoneri. That's one f@$& of a resume. Sammy Mandell is a certified all-time great. This is the 1926 Spalding Champions - Advertisement Back - Sammy Mandell. I apologize for the piss-poor scan, it's a rare card and the best scan I could muster.
1927 E211 - York Caramel Prizefighters - Sammy Mandell.
1929 Godfrey Phillips LTD. - Sporting Champions - Sammy Mandell.
1932 La Pie Qui Chante - Sammy Mandell.
1936 La Salle Hats - Sammy Mandell.
1928 Exhibit Supply Company - Orange Tint - Sammy Mandell.
Here is a 1928 Exhibit Supply Company - Pink Tinted - Sammy Mandell. The different color tinted exhibit cards are really tough to find.
1948 Leaf Gum - Sammy Mandell. Not sure why Leaf flipped the image around for the card.
This is my favorite photo of Sammy Mandell, sitting in his corner getting ready to go at Rocky Kansas in 1926. The expression on his face, it's just a wicked image.
Freddie Miller from Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the greatest featherweights in boxing history. A clever southpaw with a granite chin, he was world featherweight champion from 1933 to 1936, in which time he laid waste to the entire division. He was truly a world champion, defending his title all over the globe, England, Spain, South Africa, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Ireland, Canada, Belgium, as well as 18 different states in America. This guy had 248 fights in his career, a real iron man. This is his rookie card, the 1935 United Tobacco Co. - World Famous Boxers - Freddie Miller.
Awesome photo sequence of Billy Miske, aka "The St. Paul Thunderbolt."
Even though I can't seem to find any decent photos of him that match up with the few cards that he does have, I want to get Billy Miske in here because simply put, the guy was a damn beast. Another pound-for-pound monster from the early 1900s, he was a clever boxer with cracking power that fought from middleweight up to heavyweight. Holds wins over Harry Greb, Tommy Gibbons, Jack Dillon, Battling Levinsky, Mike O'Dowd. But it's the fact that this guy fought with two failing kidneys because he needed to support his family that really gets me. He could barely stand from the pain of Bright's disease when he stepped in the ring one last time in November of 1923 and against all odds knocked out heavyweight Bill Brennan, a fight he took so he could provide his family with a good Christmas. Like I said, a beast. This is the 1920 W519 Strip Card - Billy Miske.
1923 W580 Strip Card - Billy Miske.