A 9ct. gold and enamel Lonsdale Belt won outright by Tancy Lee in the feather-weight division, 1919, by Mappin and Webb, the gold belt with a central enamel oval plaque of a boxing match, beneath & above the Royal Coat of Arms and an English rose and surrounded by the inscription NATIONAL SPORTING CLUB FEATHER-WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP, CHALLENGE BELT, the reverse inscribed PRESENTED BY THE RT. HON THE EARL OF LONSDALE, flanked by rose roundels, further enamel plaques, two large commemoration plaques, the first inscribed OCT. 6TH 1913, KID LEWIS DEFEATED ALEC LAMBERT, 17 ROUNDS, £350, the other MAY 31 1915, LLEW EDWARDS DEFEATED OWEN MORAN, 10 ROUNDS, £750, the belt set with four smaller commemoration plaques, chronologically reading JUNE 1917, CHARLIE HARDCASTLE DEFEATED LET. CPL. WYE, ONE ROUND, £375; NOV. 5TH 1917, TANCY LEE DEFEATED CHARLIE HARDCASTLE, FOUR ROUNDS, £400; 21ST OCTOBER 1918, TANCY LEE DEFEATED JOE CONN, 17 ROUNDS; 24 FEBRUARY 1919, TANCY LEE DEFEATED DANNY MORGAN, 20 ROUNDS, the belt supported on a red, white & blue cloth backing; with a baize-lined leather carrying pouch, 84cm., 33in. (2) James Tancy Lee from Leith, Edinburgh, was by any standards a marvel of the professional ring. Born in 1882, his professional boxing career officially started in 1910 following the ABA's decision to strip him of his bantamweight title due to breaches of amateur rules. In 1915 he embarked on a series of four championship bouts for the British flyweight title which included a win over Jimmy Wilde, his first pro defeat. After two postponed fights at bantamweight against Joe Fox, Lee moved up to featherweight and took on the reigning champion, Barnsley's Charlie Hardcastle whom he defeated in four rounds. His first defence was against Joe Conn. The fight turned into a battle of endurance, which suited Lee as he possessed seemingly endless reserves of stamina. Tancy Lee emerged triumphant with a KO in the 17th round. The all-important third notch on his belt was as a result of his win over Welshman Danny Morgan. It was a grueling fight that went all the way to the 20th and final round with Lee getting the verdict and his Lonsdale Belt accordingly.
£6,000 - £8,000
A 9ct. gold and enamel Lonsdale Belt won outright by Tancy Lee in the feather-weight division, 1919, by Mappin and Webb, the gold belt with a central enamel oval plaque of a boxing match, beneath & above the Royal Coat of Arms and an English rose and surrounded by the inscription NATIONAL SPORTING CLUB FEATHER-WEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP, CHALLENGE BELT, the reverse inscribed PRESENTED BY THE RT. HON THE EARL OF LONSDALE, flanked by rose roundels, further enamel plaques, two large commemoration plaques, the first inscribed OCT. 6TH 1913, KID LEWIS DEFEATED ALEC LAMBERT, 17 ROUNDS, £350, the other MAY 31 1915, LLEW EDWARDS DEFEATED OWEN MORAN, 10 ROUNDS, £750, the belt set with four smaller commemoration plaques, chronologically reading JUNE 1917, CHARLIE HARDCASTLE DEFEATED LET. CPL. WYE, ONE ROUND, £375; NOV. 5TH 1917, TANCY LEE DEFEATED CHARLIE HARDCASTLE, FOUR ROUNDS, £400; 21ST OCTOBER 1918, TANCY LEE DEFEATED JOE CONN, 17 ROUNDS; 24 FEBRUARY 1919, TANCY LEE DEFEATED DANNY MORGAN, 20 ROUNDS, the belt supported on a red, white & blue cloth backing; with a baize-lined leather carrying pouch, 84cm., 33in. (2) James Tancy Lee from Leith, Edinburgh, was by any standards a marvel of the professional ring. Born in 1882, his professional boxing career officially started in 1910 following the ABA's decision to strip him of his bantamweight title due to breaches of amateur rules. In 1915 he embarked on a series of four championship bouts for the British flyweight title which included a win over Jimmy Wilde, his first pro defeat. After two postponed fights at bantamweight against Joe Fox, Lee moved up to featherweight and took on the reigning champion, Barnsley's Charlie Hardcastle whom he defeated in four rounds. His first defence was against Joe Conn. The fight turned into a battle of endurance, which suited Lee as he possessed seemingly endless reserves of stamina. Tancy Lee emerged triumphant with a KO in the 17th round. The all-important third notch on his belt was as a result of his win over Welshman Danny Morgan. It was a grueling fight that went all the way to the 20th and final round with Lee getting the verdict and his Lonsdale Belt accordingly.