NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's presents a special, single-lot sale of a landmark document in American history: Muhammad Ali's draft card, issued the day the Louisville, Kentucky Draft Board ordered him to appear for induction; signed by J. Allen Sherman, Chairman of the local Draft Board; and pointedly not signed by Muhammad Ali. The sale will take place online from 10 to 28 October 2025, with an extended viewing at Rockefeller Center from 18 September to 28 October.
Rasheda Ali Walsh, a daughter of Muhammad Ali, said: “Being reminded of my father's message of courage and conviction is more important now than ever, and the sale of his draft card at Christie's is a powerful way to share that legacy with the world.”
This card – which Ali would have carried with him for years as required by law – comes from his descendants, and is an artifact of a pivotal historic moment. Ali's refusal, in April of 1967, to be inducted into the United States Army reverberated throughout the world and helped to galvanize the antiwar movement in the U.S. It elevated Ali from sports legend to civil rights leader. It paved the way for other Black sports stars of the era to speak out on social and political issues in new, more pointed way, than the generation before them. It also reverberated throughout Ali's life. Stripped of his titles and his license to box, he lost prime years of his career, as well as the ability to earn a living. Eventually, in 1971, Ali's conviction was overturned by a unanimous 8-0 decision of the United States Supreme Court (Justice Thurgood Marshall recused himself), a decision that many historians attribute to the growing antiwar climate in the nation.
The Senior Specialist, Americana, in the Book Department, Peter Klarnet, said: “This is the first time collectors will be able to acquire a vital and intimate document connected to one of the most important figures of the last century. Ali's stand against the Vietnam War draft changed America and the way his fellow athletes addressed the questions of their time. This draft card would have sat in Ali's wallet for years and comes to the market directly from his descendants. Due to the singular and important nature of this card, we are proud to offer it in a special, single-lot auction.”
Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) is generally considered to be the greatest heavyweight boxer in history. The winner of the Gold Medal for boxing in the Light Heavyweight Division in the Rome Olympics of 1960, Ali turned professional later that same year. He went on to win heavyweight championships a record-setting three times in 1964, 1974, and 1978. The sale of Muhammad Ali's draft card comes half a century after two of his most notable fights: “The Rumble in the Jungle,” 30 Oct. 1974, in Kinshasa Zaire, during which Ali won back his WBA, WBC, and Ring Heavyweight titles, and “The Thrilla in Manilla” 1 Oct. 1975 in the capital of the Philippines, in which Ali successfully retained those titles in the third and final edition of Ali's epic fights with Joe Frazier.
