The military draft card issued to but never signed by boxer Muhammad Ali will be auctioned in a single-lot sale online next month.
Christie’s are selling the card, issued on March 14, 1967 to Cassius Marsellus Clay, Jr (the name Ali renounced as his “slave name” in 1964).
The card confirms Ali’s reclassification as “1-A” and therefore eligible for conscription to serve in the Vietnam War.
The card is signed by the chairman of the draft board, J. Allen Sherman. But not by Ali.
Muhammad Ali with a group of Black American athletes, speaking in June 1967 in support of his defiance of the US draft.
Ali had declared he would not surrender for military service in 1966, claiming conscientious objection citing his Muslim beliefs and opposition to the war in Vietnam.
Ali attended his induction, refused to answer his name and was arrested. He lost his boxing licence and his world titles. Ali was convicted of breaking the Selective Service laws, but wasn’t imprisoned while his appeals were heard, ending in his victory at the Supreme Court in 1971.
The card is being sold by Ali’s family. His daughter, Rasheda Ali Walsh, said: “Being reminded of my father’s message of courage and conviction is more important now than ever, and the sale of his draft card at Christie’s is a powerful way to share that legacy with the world.”
Peter Klarnet for Christie’s said: “Ali’s stand against the Vietnam War draft changed America and the way his fellow athletes addressed the questions of their time. This draft card would have sat in Ali’s wallet for years and comes to the market directly from his descendants.”
Muhammad Ali, generally considered the world’s greatest heavyweight boxer, is among the most collectible figures in sport and beyond. In 2011, a pair of boxing trunks worn in the Fight of the Century in 1971 (his comeback fight after his draft ban) sold for $173,102.
Good quality signed photographs and signed documents can go for thousands of pounds.
This significantly unsigned document is being sold with online bidding from October 10 to October 28 with no estimate.
