Latest Pickups

[G1911]

A cheap postcard to fill the void. Jeffries was like $12 here.

[G1911]

A box topper for Panini Golden Age, pretty nice Exhibit style bonus.

[D. Bergin]

Collectors don't seem to care about him in the slightest, unless it's a fight involving a more popular boxer, but I think Gene Tunney is crazy under-rated by both collectors and historians.

[Exhibitman]

Yeah, I agree. Tunney was probably the best lt. heavyweight-heavyweight of the 1920s. Greb mauled him early on, but he came back and beat Greb repeatedly, and never lost again, including twice against JD. He just wasn't a beloved character; I think because he more or less left the sport and the public eye early while still champ when he married Polly Lauder and went to CT to breed senators. Dempsey arguably had the lesser record. His title defenses after Willard were pretty much gimmes: a smaller guy with a fatal kidney disease (Miske), two small guys (Carpentier, Gibbons), a guy he'd already beat handily (Brennan), and a guy with a puncher's chance (Firpo). But he beat Firpo, then went out on his shield, twice, and became the every-man hero in the process, then kept himself relentlessly in the public eye in NY with his restaurant.

[Jerry G]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Collectors don't seem to care about him in the slightest, unless it's a fight involving a more popular boxer, but I think Gene Tunney is crazy under-rated by both collectors and historians.

Totally agree yet, I am a big Tunney fan. The folks at the time and maybe still today, appreciate the aggressive big hitter, Jack Dempsey . After the excitement of a Dempsey championship the folks didn't have the same enthusiasm for the thoughtful, defensive expert, Tunney.

What a great life he led! He enlisted in the Marines during WWI and left as a decorated officer. Retired from boxing with all his faculties and had very successful second career.

[G1911]

I don't think the public ever really had a chance to develop enthusiasm for Tunney. He left almost as soon as he took the title and retired with only 1 defense after Dempsey. His resume is pretty weak. I agree Dempsey's resume is weak too, he never had much interest in seriously defending his title, but what does Tunney have in his W column outside of Jack? Avenging his loss against Greb, who wasn't really even a light heavy? Carpentier that is also on Dempsey's? There's not much of note on it. Tunney is an interesting guy, Jack Cavanaugh's biography is really good but a little hagiographic. Kind of a shame he's mostly just a footnote today.

The Sport Kings is my favorite Tunney card.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Just in.

[Exhibitman]

My favorite Tunney: