LOS ANGELES, CA.- Never before offered to the public, the estate of Arthur Ashe will be auctioned on the 20th anniversary of his death, February 6, 2013, through
Nate D. Sanders Auctions. A portion of the sale will benefit the Arthur Ashe Learning Center, a non-profit organization that promotes Arthur Ashe’s legacy of scholarship, sports, health, wellness and service. In addition to the sale occurring on the 20th anniversary of his death, 2013 is the 45th anniversary of Ashe's historic win of the U.S. Open's men's singles title.
Items at auction encompass every part of Ashe’s historic life and career, intertwining his race-shattering tennis record with his sweeping impact in both civil rights and AIDS research. Ashe was also a scholar, having authored seven books in his lifetime, and his manuscripts in this auction reveal his extremely thoughtful approach to difficult social issues.
“Arthur Ashe’s life and career is really about the highest highs and lowest lows,” said Nate D. Sanders, who is auctioning Ashe’s items. “As the first African-American to win the men’s singles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open, he rose to the very pinnacle of success in tennis and, in the process, willingly became ambassador to the next generation of black athletes. Ashe’s career was shortened by heart disease and he contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion after heart surgery. This was just before the medical community began checking the blood supply. But, never defeated by his health challenges, Ashe continued his impassioned social advocacy and scholarly pursuits right up until his death.”
Items of special interest include:
•Diaries for the years 1972-1993, including the year he won Wimbledon & from 1993, the last year of his life
• His 1970s Passport, with the historic entry stamp to play tennis in apartheid-South Africa
• Hundreds of trophies from his career, including Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, Davis Cup & his prestigious Sportsman of the Year Award
• Handwritten speeches on black athleticism, civil rights & AIDS
