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Souvenir TQS of two Sullivan quotations on a circularly cut 8 x 5.5 page, entitled “Put Osler to the Bad” and signed “Yours Truly, John L. Sullivan.” The first quotation, from The Telegraph, reads in part: “‘Just another man looking for advertising, but I put him to the bad,’ said John L. ‘Ever read the reply I made to his theory? Well, I had a few things to say about fellows becoming has-beens after they reached 40, and when the doctor read it, he packed up and hiked off to England.’” The second quotation reads: “‘Why some of the greatest inventions were made by men more than 50 years old,’ continued Sullivan. ‘It’s all bosh to say a man is no longer useful after he reaches 40. Why I expect to live to be 100. I feel younger than I did twenty-five years ago, but that’s because I’ve cut out the red stuff.’” Encapsulated in a plastic PSA/DNA authentication holder. In very good condition, irregularly trimmed as noted with lower left corner crease, horizontal folds passing through his name, scattered toning and foxing, and Sullivan’s signature circled in an unknown hand.
Sullivan turned 40 in 1898, but never let age disrupt his pugilistic endeavors. The Boston Strong Boy appeared in several exhibitions over the years, including a three-rounder against Tom Sharkey and a final two-rounder against Jim McCormick in 1905. When he wasn’t in the ring, Sullivan engaged in various other pursuits including acting, public speaker, baseball umpire, sports reporter, and bar owner—even though the one-time prodigious drinker later became a teetotaler and supported the temperance movement. Eventually retiring to a Massachusetts farm, the former champion had depleted most of the $1 million he had earned in his public career before dying in 1918 at age 59. Encouraging and optimistic words from a man closing in on middle age. RRAuction COA.
