This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/14/2024
Before he was Muhammad Ali, he was Cassius Clay, Jr. Clay Sr. was a sign painter and musician and sometime referred to by his son as “the best dancer in Louisville.” It is sometimes opined that Ali’s trademark footwork was inherited from his father. Although Cassius Sr. lived until 1990, this is the only known period Type 1 photo of father and son together. The photo carries a date on the back of “12/6/62” which puts this just after Clay’s TKO defeat of Archie Moore. Now 16-0, Cassius Clay was the leading up and coming heavyweight in the world and just a little over a year away from beating Sonny Liston for the crown. This image depicts Clay and his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Sr., going through a pile of fan letters in his Louisville home. The photo shows some surface abrasions and a slight soft crease in the center of the bottom border. The reverse has the World Wide Photos stamp and the original caption slug affixed. A great early image of “The Greatest” and his father, and the only Type 1 depicting the pair. The photograph measures 7” x 9” and has been encapsulated and graded a Type 1 by PSA.