Tokens Commemorating the "Knock‑Kneed Hammerman from Soho" awarded at Banbury Prize Fighting Ring in 1789 come to auction

In October of 1789, at Banbury, Thomas Johnson of Derby (living in Birmingham) fought Isaac Perrins from London, nicknamed the ‘Knock‑Kneed Hammerman from Soho,’ in an outdoor event attended by a throng of some 4,000 spectators. The contest was billed as a battle between Birmingham and London as well as for the English Championship.

The two men were much the same age in their late 30s, but very different in physique – Johnson being around 5”8’ weighing 196lbs, and Perrins taller at 6”2’, weighing 238lbs. After 75 minutes of 65 rounds the exhausted favourite, Isaac Perrins, was defeated – the smaller fighter Johnson using a nimble and artful strategy against his own naïve and bull-like approach. The success of Johnson was due to his technical ability, his calm under pressure and his analytical approach, not just his very great strength. It is recorded that Perrins’ “face had scarcely the traces left of a human being.” Both Johnson and Perrins received 250 guineas for participating and Johnston received two thirds of the some £800 taken at the gate. In addition, Johnston received ‘gifts’ from happy supporters who had bet on him, in particular £1,000 from a Thomas Bullock who reportedly won £20,000 from a successful wager!

However, Johnson was not so successful outside the ring – he was an inveterate gambler and generally seen to be easy prey for the ‘sharper’ players. Known as the ‘Champion of England’ from 1784 to 1791 he undoubtedly earned a great deal of money from boxing and more than any other fighter at the time – or for that matter for the next fifty years or so. After his retirement in 1791 he bought a public house, the Grapes, in Lincoln’s Inn Fields which soon became a den of gambling and criminal activity and just a few years later he died a poor man with virtually all of his very large wealth squandered.

Nevertheless, a pair of tokens were minted to mark his 1789 victory against Perrins. One penny / medalet features the bust of Thomas Johnson left facing, on the reverse “BELLA! HORRIDA BELLA!” and around “SCIENCE AND INTREPIDITY.” The other bears on the obverse the portrait of Isaac Perrins right facing. Both are extremely fine with much original lustre, both rare in this grade.                                                                                                       

Lot 483 (One of two tokens included in lot)

This exceptional pair of 1789 English Boxing Championship tokens will feature in the upcoming Baldwin’s Auction House sale of British 18^th Century Tokens, taking place on Monday 7 October 2024. The lot – Lot 483 – is estimated to sell for £120 – 150.

The British 18^th Century Token sale, comprised of two parts, will bring to sale over 600 items from three excellent collections, including the collection of Paul Gerrie. The Gerrie lots (1 – 318) are in exceptional condition and are not just uncirculated but also exhibit much original lustre or beautiful toning with brilliance or iridescence. Some were once encapsulated and graded by PCGS and NGC – and in most cases achieved scores of 64 and above. In the second section are yet more tokens in superb condition, including some extreme rarities. Many are ex Cokayne, Drury and Longman, and many more will have come from Baldwins in the last century.