Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals

Sport, Boxing: Banbury, Prize Fighting Ring, 1789, copper medals (2), both unsigned, bust of Thomas Johnson left, thomas iohnson, rev. science and intrepidity around bella! horrida bella!, 1789 in exergue, 34mm, 18.81g/12h (DH Warwickshire 12; W 1498); bust of Isaac Perrins right, isaac perrins, rev. strength and magnanimity around bella! horrida bella!, 1789 in exergue, 34mm, 18.51g/12h (DH Warwickshire 13; W 1499) [2]. First very fine but with rim faults and flaws, second fine £40-£50

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Tickets and Passes of London from the David Young Collection.

View
Collection

Provenance: R.S. Brown Jr Collection, Part III, DNW Auction T10, 5 October 2011, lot 639 [DH 12 from P. Flanagan March 1984, DH 13 from M.Z. Gerson May 1979].

Isaac Perrins (1750-1801), prize-fighter and engineer employed by Boulton & Watt. A giant of a man, 6ft 2in in bare feet and weighing 17 stone, he was the champion boxer of the Midlands with a reputation of beating his opponents in under five minutes. He issued a challenge of £500 to meet any man in the country, an offer which attracted the attention of Thomas Jackling, aka Johnson (†1797), the London and England champion since 1783. The match was made at Banbury on 22 October 1789 and, in a tournament of mixed fortune watched by 3,000 people, which lasted 75 minutes and comprised no less than 62 rounds, Johnson took victory and a large purse, reputed to be over £1,000. Perrins is said never to have fought again (Chaloner, History Today, 1973, pp.740-3); not so Johnson, whose patrons introduced him to racing and gambling. In January 1791 Johnson lost his title to Benjamin ‘Big Ben’ Brain at Wrotham, Kent; subsequently he dissipated his fortune gambling and ended his days teaching boxing in Cork