LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2006 October Signature Sports Auction #705  / 

19245

Bob Fitzsimmons Signed Book Photograph PSA/DNA

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop / Sports - Autographs (Original) Start Price:1,000.00 USD Estimated At:2,500.00 - 3,500.00 USD
Bob Fitzsimmons Signed Book Photograph PSA/DNA
<B>Circa 1900 Bob Fitzsimmons Signed Book Photograph.</B></I> With a powerful upper body forged as a New Zealand blacksmith, Fitzsimmons made use of devastating punching power and a quick, agile style to rise to the Heavyweight Championship of the World with a victory over Gentleman Jim Corbett in 1897. This tremendously scarce signature likely dates from just a few years later, as Fitzsimmons' two bouts against the enormous Jim Jeffries, who outweighed him by forty pounds, took place in 1899 and 1902. The size differential is quite evident in the printed photograph that appears above Fitzsimmons' 9/10 black fountain pen signature. Yet despite losing both contests, Fitzsimmons battered Jeffries so terribly in the rematch, shattering his nose and cheekbones, that the referee almost ended the bout before Jeffries turned the tide. Fitzsimmons' death in 1917 has left only a handful of autographs for the hobby, and the appearance of one paired with such a terrific photograph is cause for celebration. The page, removed from an old boxing volume, shows chipping at the edges and a repaired tear, but the autograph is unaffected by these concerns. An exceedingly rare signature absent from many of the finest boxing collections. <I>LOA from PSA/DNA.</B></I>
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