The desire to own keepsakes connected to sports heroes never seems to wane. Fans treasure autographed balls, game-used gear, and personal possessions as intimate connections to sports greatness. This passion often leads them to shell out substantial sums for rare items, much like those that often grace the counters at Les and Seth Gold’s American Jewelry and Loan in Detroit.
The Gold family has been in the pawn business since 1978, when Les opened his first shop. His son, Seth, now helps run the store, which is featured on the truTV reality show “Hardcore Pawn,” Fox Sports reported.
In one episode, Seth Gold recalled two standout items related to Muhammad Ali; that clips has recently resurfaced on social media.
The Iconic Boxing Robe
Muhammad Ali’s memorabilia, even while he was still alive, fetched significant sums. This was evident when a man walked into Gold’s store carrying what he claimed was a boxing robe worn by Ali. The man, identifying himself as Muhammad Ali Jr., wanted to sell the unique piece of history.
“The robe was brought into us on the show by Ali’s son, but the only documentation he had was a picture of his dad and Joe Frazier,” Gold said. “His son had fallen on hard times, and this was the last bit of memorabilia he had from his dad. You felt really bad for him because he was quite honest. He said, ‘I haven’t seen my dad in a really long time, and I just need some money, and this is his robe from this picture.’ And to actually see [the photo] of him and Frazier was just unreal.”
Gold first had to verify the man was Ali’s son, which he did. While the Everlast robe matched the one in the photograph, the Gold had no definitive way of authenticating it. Due to this uncertainty, they settled on a purchase price of $500, later selling the robe for an unkown profit.
The Extraordinary Book of Muhammad Ali
While the robe was a cool item, it paled in comparison to another piece of Muhammad Ali memorabilia that came in a few years prior: a book. “My dad called me in to say we had a book worth $15,000 coming in, and I didn’t believe him,” Gold recalled. “I said ‘There’s no way a book could be worth 15 grand.'”
The seller arrived with a book so heavy it required a cart. Encased in a gigantic white silk box with pink lettering, the book was titled “GOAT – GREATEST OF ALL TIME: A Tribute to Muhammad Ali,” published by Taschen. This limited edition featured more than 3,000 images, including previously unseen photographs, art, and memorabilia. The book was bound in pink leather, the color of Ali’s first Cadillac, and the “Champ’s Edition” included 1,000 individually numbered copies, each selling for $15,000.
“The book weighed 75 pounds,” Gold said. “It was incredible. This guy said he heard about the book being produced back in 2003 and there was a waitlist, so he bought two for $30,000. He figured it would be a good investment.”
The seller pawned one of the books for $4,500 and, after paying interest for over a year, pawned the second one. After four and a half years of paying interest, he could no longer afford it, forfeiting both to the pawn shop.
“Not only did I have one of these books that was so valuable, I was scared to touch it, but now I had two,” Gold said. “I was nervous to even breathe near it because the box alone was worth a ton.”
The Golds sold one book for $7,500 to a sports agent for a boxer client. The second book remains available at the store.