[Box-Cards]

Thought I'd share it with you...because I created it.

Deceased (Dec. 2007) Boxing Historian, Hank Kaplan, was a very good friend of mine from the time we first met in Graziano's Lounge in Canastota, NY, at the 1991 IBHOF Induction Events weekend and right up to his passing. He was my primary mentor and key motivator encouraging me to keep working on the Ali Global Card Review project from the first time I mentioned working on it.

He was also the Chairman of the Selection Committee for IBHOF annual inductions and, as such, was not eligible to be nominated for induction himself by anybody else on that committee ... until the end of 2005 when he was talked into stepping down from his Chairmanship position so he could in fact be inducted into the IBHOF the next year, in 2006.

I had made the annual trips to the HOF's inductions for 9 years straight, 1991 to 2000, missed 2001, was there for 2002, then missed the next
three. When I heard Hank himself was being inducted in 2006, there was no way I was going to miss that one. I contacted him early and asked his permission to create a 2006 IBHOF Induction Commemorative card of him, 100 total hand-made, offering to meet him up there early to give him 75 of the 100 I would produced for his own use, my keeping 25 to help cover its production costs. He not only gave me permission, but then sent me the two photographs he would like me to use for it when I mentioned I wanted it to be simple without any text back, just mainly images with minimum face text. Hank's on its front; he is pictured with a young Clay along the ring ropes at the 5th St. Gym, Miami, in Chris Dundee's Gym on the card back.

Hank had an intimate relationship with both Dundee brothers before, during, and after Clay/Ali first came to Miami and turned Pro. He was officially the 5th St. Gym's PR Man and posed Ali for his very first "Cassius Clay" Promotional Cards--one pose of which became the basis for Ali's 1960's Exhibit card.

Of the (25) 2006 Induction Promos I kept of Hank's that year, I made sure to freely distribute about (10) of them to select dealers and exhibitors who also attended that year's IBHOF Collector Show--so that the card would legitimately acquire the providence of being considered in the future to be one of the only true IBHOF Induction Commemorative Promo-Cards that were ever released and distributed during one of the Hall's annual events. I don't really know what Hank did with any of the (75) other examples I gave him the Thursday before his Induction, but knowing him I'm sure he was generous in distributing some during and afterward. He got a real kick and was delighted when he was given them.

I saw one pop up on Ebay.UK a good while back. It auctioned off for a little over $4.50; as I figure it they cost me not just many, many hours to create but ran over twice that (min. $9 apiece) in material-supplies, etc., to do so.

Regardless I was personally involved or not, I think it is fair to nominate this 2006 Hank Kaplan/Ali-Back IBHOF 2006 Induction Promo as possibly being among THE most "undervalued" Ali cards out there today...such is life.