Neat 1887 "Old Judge" boxing card on Ebay (George Godfrey)

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Chuck9788

I just saw this 1887 "Old Judge" card of George Godfrey (1853-1901). Godfrey was once recognized as the "Colored Heavyweight Champion". The auction is currently at 5 bids 32.00 with just over a day left.

The Canadian (Prince Edward Island) fighter Godfrey spent nearly his entire career chasing eventual World Heavyweight Champion John L. Sullivan, who repeatedly refused to fight black contenders. However, in 1881 a story surfaced that a bare-knuckle fight against Sullivan had been scheduled but was stopped by the Boston police due to boxing being illegal in the state. This enhanced Godfrey's notoriety and earned him some high-profile matchups with some of the top pugilists of his time period, including the likes of Kilrain, Maher, Jackson and Choynski. Godfrey died in 1901 of tuberculoses.

Are you the seller?

[Chuck9788]

No. not at all. Just posting when I see cool stuff. The card does not meet my specific card wants/ lol ... needs. But a former "Colored Heavyweight Champion" card? Pretty sweet!

[Exhibitman]

TB, I had not known that. Killed Joe Gans too. We are so fortunate to have antibiotics. Heres a Wood cabinet made with the same pose:

[Exhibitman]

Closed at $189.50. I was my card; I'm liquidating a large collection over the next few months. T and E cards are up this week, plus a bunch of other stuff. "exhibitman" on eBay. Gonna start in with the slabbed stuff in April.

Those are good scans, very sharp. I got a new scanner a while ago and noodled around with the settings. Turns out 400 dpi is the sweet spot for eBay card listings.