Specializing in Sports & Americana Memorabilia,
Vintage Photography & Rock 'n' Roll.

Search


June 2005  >  Sports  >  Boxing

< previous lot  |  next lot >

Lot 1644: John L. Sullivan Whiskey Bottle with Pourer

ITEM DESCRIPTION

 
Reserve: $300.00
Winning Bid: $392.62
Price Realized: $469.18
Auction Date:6/26/2005 9:00 PM EST

Astonishingly rare half-pint whiskey bottle etched with a transparent image of John L. Sullivan in his fighting stance and branded at the top by a 2-sided color button ad depicting the great bare-knuckle champ and the slogan "John L -- "The best bet for every round." The button is part of a pourer attached to a cork that is still in the bottle. The John L. private label was made in the early 1900s long after Sully's career was over. Finding a surviving bottle with the pourer intact virtually unheard of, and its overall value is increased by an incredible irony -- at the time it was being sold Sullivan himself wouldn't have touched a drop, having given up his boozing ways to become a temperance lecturer. It was too late. He died in 1918 of health problems caused by his earlier alcoholism. Clear bottle is EX-MT with just a few flecks of whiskey staining. Grat metallic pourer and button ad also EX-MT, with the latter's colors still vibrant.

BIDDING

The bidding for this lot has ended.


< previous lot  |  next lot >