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Originally Posted by Wolverine
Thanks for the insight. These are great points, and I agree that Ali's fame is unmatched around the world. The only thing I question is whether or not this actually transfers over into the memorabilia market. While Ali's appeal is second to none worldwide, his memorabilia still doesn't hold a candle to Babe Ruth. Right after Ali's death, when his memorabilia was on fire and he was in the news every day, I believe the highest price paid for one of his items was $606,000 for his gloves worn in the "Fight of the Century" bout against Frazier at Madison Square Garden.
This is a far cry from the $717,000 paid for Babe Ruth's 1921 59th home run bat, the $996,000 for his Red Sox/Yankees trade agreement contract, the $1.2 million for his 1923 bat used to hit the first HR at Yankee Stadium, the $4.2 million paid for his 1920 Yankees jersey, etc. etc.
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Ironically, I attended the live Heritage Platinum Sports Auction in NYC where the Ali's Fight of the Century gloves were sold.
It was a cool event to watch from the auction floor, although the winning bid came from a call-in bidder.