Weekly I play on a trivia team so obviously I love
information, from the well-known to the obscure. When developing the character of Jason Hawke,
the hero in HER DARK PROTECTOR, I wanted him to have a hobby that would reflect
his involvement in a secret justice society as well as reflect his wealth. I took a look at sports memorabilia and collecting
fighting implements, but then Jason ‘told’ me he preferred fighting with his
hands. Then I researched the world of
boxing. There’s quite a world of collectors,
from autographed photographs to fight worn gloves championship belts and
trophies.
It should come as no surprise that Muhammad Ali’s
memorabilia transcends all others. However, as I dug deeper, I came across the
name of heavyweight champion Marvin Hart.
Hart held the championship from 1905-06, but was not a favored champion
and reportedly signed few autographs. As
a fighter Hart was described as tough, determined, but he followed a very
popular champion and held the HW championship only briefly. Consequently, a simple signed piece of paper
from Hart sells for $8,000-$15,000 and is considered one of the rarest signatures
to collect.
[photo from Chicago Daily News}
So here’s how the trivia
played out in the scene from HER DARK PROTECTOR:
The length of at least three bedrooms, the
workout room contained the latest state-of-the-art exercise equipment. A
punching bag hung from a beam. Rolled mats were stacked along the sides.
Another wall fitted with brackets held an assortment of poles, batons and
chains that caused her to swallow. Some serious martial arts training could go
on here. Jason stood by the bank of windows speaking on his phone. He gave her
a brief nod but continued talking.
However, it was the line of glass display cases
that drew her attention. She wandered to the nearest one and studied the ragged
piece of paper with a faded autograph on a black velvet stand.
Pocketing his phone, Jason approached. “Marvin
Hart held the heavyweight boxing championship from 1905 to 1906. However, he
wasn’t a very popular champion and consequently his autograph is scarce.”
“You collect boxing memorabilia? With all the
martial arts gear, I was expecting swords or other weapons.”
His mouth quirked. “No, but you’ll find one in
the third case down that was used by Bruce Lee in a movie.”
He slid his hands into his front pockets. “As I
trained with the Alliance, I became fascinated with the history of boxing and
other hand-to-hand fighting along with the various philosophies.”
J
Carol
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