This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/13/2024
Originally crafted as part of a four-panel set designed for binder display, this is the earliest known image of Cassius Clay on what could be considered a trading card. Captured in a journal created for attendees of the 1960 Rome Olympics, the young man who would later be celebrated as "The Greatest" appears here as a budding Olympian. Just 18 and on the edge of worldwide fame, Clay was poised to become the defining figure of those Games—years before his conversion to Islam and his powerful stance against the Vietnam War. This rookie card, meticulously hand-cut, has been graded NM 7 by BGS, offering exceptional visual allure. It ranks among the finest known examples, with an accessible price far below the nearly six-figure sums fetched by the only PSA 10 GEM MINT edition.