Muhammad Ali’s Recruitment Card Up for Auction
Muhammad Ali’s refusal to sign his military draft card during the Vietnam era marked a turning point in the boxing champion’s life, making him a powerful voice in the anti-war movement. Now, this momentous historical document is for sale. The card, which was to be signed by Ali in 1967, features a blank space, an act of defiance that generated controversy while the Vietnam War was at its peak. This gesture triggered a series of events that disrupted his successful boxing career, but at the same time immortalized him outside the ring as a defender of peace and social justice.Christie’s announced that the online auction will take place from October 10 to 28, and that the card was obtained through Ali’s descendants. A public exhibition of the card began on Thursday at Rockefeller Center in New York and will continue until October 21. The auction house estimates that the document could reach a value of between 3 and 5 million dollars.“Remembering my father’s message of courage and conviction is more important than ever, and the sale of his recruitment card at Christie’s is a powerful way to share that legacy with the world,” said Rasheda Ali Walsh, Ali’s daughter, in a statement issued by the auction house.
Rasheda Ali Walsh
Ali, three-time heavyweight champion, died in 2016 at the age of 74 after decades of battling Parkinson’s disease. An estimated 100,000 people chanted “Ali! Ali!” in the streets of his hometown, Louisville, Kentucky, as a hearse carried his coffin to the local cemetery. His memorial service was attended by celebrities, athletes, and politicians. The partially typed recruitment card evokes memories of a time when Ali was not universally loved, but rather stood as a polarizing figure, revered by millions worldwide but despised by many. By refusing to be drafted into the United States Army, Ali was found guilty of evading military service, stripped of his boxing title, and banned from boxing. Ali appealed the conviction, claiming he was a Muslim minister. He famously proclaimed: “I ain’t got no quarrel with the Viet Cong.” During his exile, Ali spoke at universities and briefly appeared in a Broadway musical. He was allowed to resume boxing three years later. He was still facing a possible prison sentence in 1971 when he faced Joe Frazier, his archrival, for the first time in what was called “the Fight of the Century.” A few months later, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction by an 8-0 vote. The recruitment card was issued on the day the Louisville draft board ordered Ali to report for induction, according to a Christie’s press release. The card was signed by the chairman of the local draft board, but notably not by Ali. The card identified him by his birth name, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., but misspelled his middle name as “Marsellus”. Following his conversion to Islam, he was given a name that reflected his faith, according to the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville. Meanwhile, the top of the draft card reads: “(AKA) Muhammad Ali”. The Ali Center presents exhibits that pay tribute to Ali’s immense boxing skills. But its main mission, it says, is to preserve his humanitarian legacy and promote his six core principles: spirituality, generosity, conviction, confidence, respect, and dedication. Now, an artifact reflecting how Ali personified some of those principles will be auctioned. “This is the first time collectors will be able to acquire a vital and intimate document related to one of the most important figures of the last century,” Klarnet said on Thursday.“This is a singular object associated with an important historical event that has a great impact on our shared popular culture,” said Peter Klarnet, senior specialist at Christie’s.
Peter Klarnet
