"The auction house said it will hold the online sale Oct. 10-28, adding the card came to it via descendants of Ali. A public display of the card began Thursday at Rockefeller Center in New York and will continue until Oct. 21. "This is a singular object associated with an important historical event that looms large in our shared popular culture," said Peter Klarnet, a Christie's senior specialist."
"Ali, the three-time heavyweight boxing champion, died in 2016 at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. An estimated 100,000 people chanting, "Ali! Ali!" lined the streets of his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, as a hearse carried his casket to a local cemetery. His memorial service was packed with celebrities, athletes and politicians. The draft card, typewritten in parts, conjures memories from when Ali wasn't universally beloved but instead stood as a polarizing figure, revered by millions worldwide and reviled by many."
The draft card contains a blank line where Muhammad Ali was supposed to sign in 1967, reflecting his refusal to be inducted during the Vietnam War. The refusal triggered legal conviction, the stripping of his boxing title and a ban from the sport while elevating his prominence as an anti-war and social justice figure. The card surfaced through Ali’s descendants and will be offered in an online auction Oct. 10–28 with a public display at Rockefeller Center through Oct. 21. Christie's estimates the document could fetch $3 million to $5 million and presents the object as tied to a major cultural and historical moment.
Read at ESPN.com
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