Muhammad Ali’s Draft Card Up for Auction: A Symbol of Resistance
Muhammad Ali’s refusal to sign his military draft card during the Vietnam era shook the boxing champion’s life and added a powerful voice to the anti-war movement. Now, this historical piece goes on sale. In the card, there is a blank line where Ali was supposed to sign in 1967, but he refused, an act of defiance that generated controversy amid the Vietnam War. This triggered a series of events that disrupted his successful boxing career, but immortalized him outside the ring as a champion of peace and social justice.Christie’s will hold the online sale from October 10 to 28, and the card comes from Ali’s descendants. The public exhibition of the card began on Thursday at Rockefeller Center in New York and will continue until October 21. The document is estimated to reach between 3 and 5 million dollars.“Remembering my father’s message of courage and conviction is more important now than ever, and the sale of his recruitment card at Christie’s is a powerful way to share that legacy with the world.”
Rasheda Ali Walsh, daughter of Ali
Ali, three-time heavyweight champion, died in 2016 at the age of 74, after decades of dealing with Parkinson’s disease. It is estimated that 100,000 people chanted “Ali! Ali!” in the streets of his hometown, Louisville, Kentucky, when a hearse transported his coffin to a local cemetery. His memorial service was packed with celebrities, athletes, and politicians. The recruitment card, partly typed, evokes memories of when Ali was not universally loved, but was a polarizing figure, revered by millions worldwide but vilified by many. By refusing to be drafted into the United States Army, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, stripped of his boxing title, and barred 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 fought 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 recruitment board in Louisville ordered Ali to report for recruitment, according to a Thursday press release from Christie’s. The card was signed by the chairman of the local recruitment board, but not by Ali. The card identified him by his birth name: Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., but his middle name was misspelled as “Marsellus”. After his conversion to Islam, he was given a name that reflected his faith, says the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville on its website. 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 go up for auction.“This is a singular object associated with an important historical event that has a great impact on our shared popular culture.”
Peter Klarnet, senior specialist at Christie’s
“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.”
Peter Klarnet
