1896 So-Called Dollar HK-273, Fitzsimmons-Maher Boxing

Coin Details

Description

The reverse of HK-273 claims a "World's Championship" fought for at El Paso, Texas, on February 14, 1896, but the records of the ring say otherwise. Professional boxing was against the law in most states then, and the bout between Bob Fitzsimmons and Peter Maher was pushed out of El Paso and staged instead on February 21 at Langtry, Texas, about a hundred miles east on the Mexican border. No title was on the line, because Maher came in over the middleweight limit; the two fought for a side bet of ten thousand dollars, and Fitzsimmons knocked Maher out in 95 seconds. The obverse shows the two boxers before the ring ropes over the name "Maher-Fitzsimmons." Hibler and Kappen take the wrong details as a sign the medals were made early, though the issue was not reported until The Numismatist of December 1940. Brass, 38 mm; copper HK-272 and aluminum HK-273a share the dies.

Cross References

HK-273; PCGS #642633; NGC #850482