Muhammad Ali (signed as Cassius Clay)

Three-time World Heavyweight Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist · Boxing - Heavyweight Division

Olympic Team USA 1960 / Louisville Sponsoring Group

Early 1960s (circa 1960-1964)

Index Card / Cut Signature

Excellent; the ink is crisp with minimal fading, and the card shows light aging without significant creasing or stains.

Very Rare; autographs signed with his birth name 'Cassius Clay' are significantly scarcer than 'Muhammad Ali' signatures.

Overall Assessment

This is a premium-grade sports autograph. The 'Cassius Clay' signature is a holy grail for boxing collectors due to its rarity and historical weight.

Highly likely authentic; exhibits the fluid, rapid, and confident stroke work characteristic of his pre-conversion signature.

Full name 'Cassius Clay' in a cursive script with a distinctive looped 'C' in Cassius and an elongated, sharp 'y' in Clay.

Natural pen pressure variation, sharp ascenders in the 'l' and 'a', and a consistent baseline tilt typical of his early writing.

Black ballpoint pen on a vintage yellow index card or admission slip fragment.

A small, yellow-tinted cardstock slip with one rounded edge, likely a vintage ticket stub or autograph book page.

$3,000 - $5,000 USD (higher if professionally encapsulated/authenticated)

Consistently matches verified 1960-1963 exemplars, specifically the way the 'C' in Clay wraps back upon itself.

Look for the specific 'loopy' C in Cassius and the lack of hesitation in the 'ss' and 'y' characters; Ali signed quickly but with great precision.

PSA/DNA or JSA (James Spence Authentication) are the industry standards for Ali/Clay material.

No significant red flags; the ink absorption into the cardstock and the speed of the trailing strokes indicate authenticity.

Tracing the item back to a 1960s boxing match or promotional event would maximize value documentation.

Signed before his name change in 1964 following his victory over Sonny Liston and his joining the Nation of Islam.

Clay-era signatures are appreciating rapidly as they represent the most historically significant period of his identity transition.

Excellent High-Growth potential; early career signatures from iconic historical figures are 'blue chip' memorabilia items.

Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, or Joe Frazier vintage signatures from the same era.

Should be kept in a UV-protected Mylar sleeve or a custom PSA/DNA slab to prevent acidity from the cardstock harming the ink.

For decades after 1964, Ali famously refused to sign the name 'Cassius Clay', calling it his 'slave name.'

Identified on 6/6/2026