Muhammad Ali, legendary boxer and American icon sadly passed away on June 3rd at 74 years of age. If you’re the biggest Ali fan around and have some dollars hanging around, you could own his passport but I must warn you, the price is steep.
Bonhams is a British auction house founded in 1793 with locations in Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, etc. Bonhams’ New York office is auctioning off Muhammad Ali’s official United States passport at an expected selling price upwards of $35,000!
What’s interesting about Ali’s passport stamps is that they truly showcase how worldwide he was, especially in this day and age where many of boxing’s main events are only held in Las Vegas, NV. Ali fought in places like Zaire, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, and Switzerland, among others.
Here are the details courtesy of Bonhams:
Courtesy on Bonhams
Before I let you go, I have a funny story to tell about Ali. My cousin owns SportsIntegrity, a sports memorabilia website. In my high school and college years I would go with him to private signings as a helper. I loved doing this as it gave me the chance to chat with famous athletes and overall cool people. One of the legends I got to meet and talk to for over an hour was Smokin’ Joe Frazier who went 1-3 against Muhammad Ali.
He told me: “Son I may be old as heck, but if Ali came through that door and wanted to rumble, you better believe I’m all in.”
Rest in peace to two legends.
Love it.
(HT: Conde Nast Traveler)
