A silver tankard awarded to a British boxing hero in 1860 by Canadian admirers of his ‘English pluck’ has been discovered.
The silverware, presented to legendary bare-knuckle prize fighter Tom Sayers, was found boxed up in a Bath garage – at the back of a meter cupboard – during a house clearance.
It was uncovered by antiques expert and auctioneer Richard Madley. He was called to assess a large collection of mainly cricket memorabilia relating to Johnny Douglas (J W H T Douglas, 1882-1930). However, right at the bottom of a box pushed behind a meter cupboard was the silver tankard. It enters Hansons Auctioneers’ January 22 Cricket and Boxing Memorabilia Auction with an estimate of £3,000-£5,000 (lot 65).
Richard said: “I had the tankard cleaned, did some research and soon realised it was special. Its inscription reads, ‘To Tom Sayers from a few admirers of English pluck, Montreal June 1860’.
“Sayers is revered. Born in Brighton in 1826, he was like the Muhammad Ali of this day. Though only five feet eight inches tall and never weighing much more than 150 pounds, he frequently fought much bigger men, and won.
“In a career which lasted from 1849 until 1860, he lost only one of 16 bouts. He was recognised as heavyweight champion of England from 1857 until his retirement in 1860. He was a national hero, so much so, £3,000 was raised for him through public subscription for his retirement. Sadly, he died aged only 39 in 1865, his life taken by consumption.
“I would expect strong interest in the Sayers tankard from Canada as well as the UK. It was a totally unexpected discovery among a rich cricketing archive relating to Douglas.”
The collection comes to auction through family descent. The sellers are granddaughters of Johnny Douglas’s brother, Cecil ‘Pickles’ Douglas, a renowned and respected boxing referee. The family link to boxing continues. As well as being a talented cricketer, Johnny Douglas won a gold medal for boxing at the London Olympic Games in 1908.
The tankard, lot 65, will be offered in the January 22 Cricket & Boxing Auction at Hansons Auctioneers, Derbyshire. Catalogue www.hansonslive.co.uk and www.the-saleroom. To find out more, email David Wilson-Turner: [email protected]
