Exclusive - Lonsdale belt sells for £36,000

On Monday, long established Birmingham auctioneers Fellows held a sale of 'Silver, Plated Ware, Coins & Medals'. Included amongst the 620 items was one exceptional lot, a 1926 Lonsdale belt which belonged to Birmingham boxer ‘Gentleman’ Jack Hood.

As a professional boxer, welterweight champion and pub owner, the life of Jack Hood was one laden with success and achievement. Known as ‘Gentleman’ Jack for his generous and charismatic persona both in and out of the ring, Hood went on to rule the British welterweight division in the mid to late-1920s.

As one of Birmingham’s most famous sporting sons, the sale of Jack Hood’s Lonsdale belt was sure to cause a stir and resonate with many members in the second city sale room.

What is more, Hood’s Lonsdale belt is one of the original belts made under the contract of the National Sporting Club before changes were made to the design by the British Boxing Board of Control in 1936, which created great interest.

After a furious couple of minutes in the saleroom, with bids coming from online, over the telephone and in the auction room, the eventual buyer of this wonderful piece of boxing history won the belt for an astonishing £36,000.

Fellows auctioneers confirmed that one telephone bidder was a BoxRec poster who found out about the sale via our forum. "Although he did not win the lot, it made for a very interesting auction," said a spokesperson for the auctioneer.

Stephen Whittaker, Managing Director at Fellows said: “This is a wonderful testament to Jack and a fantastic result for Jack’s daughters, who have been rewarded for taking such good care of the belt. This is also a great success for Birmingham as the buyer is a local businessman, born in the Midlands, who grew up watching Jack in his prime." 

This sounds like good news. The most beautiful belt in boxing history deserves to belong to someone who will appreciate it.