A silver prize medal presented by the Champion Boxer of England Jem Mace in 1866, unhallmarked, insc...
A silver prize medal presented by the Champion Boxer of England Jem Mace in 1866, unhallmarked, inscribed PRESENTED BY, MR JEM MACE, CHAMPION OF ENGLAND, TO RALPH MITCHELL, THE WINNER FOR THROWING THE HAMMER, STRAWBERRY GROUNDS, MR JEM MACE, BENEFIT, MAY 7 1866, WEST DERBY ROAD, LIVERPOOL; sold together with photocopies from Famous Fights magazine carrying an article on Mace's first three fights (2) Jem Mace (1831-1910) was born at Beeston, Norfolk, and was crowned English boxing champion in 1861 by defeating Sam Hurst at Medway Island, Kent. After a defeat to Tom King, who then retired, Mace regained the title by beating Joe Goss at Purfleet in Essex in 1866, the date of the present medal. As well as a pugilist Mace was an entrepreneur and in 1866 became a Pleasure Ground Proprietor when he opened the Strawberry Grounds just outside what was then the Liverpool city boundary. Seeking to emulate London's Cremorne Gardens, he provided a bowling green, racing grounds and landscaped public gardens, attracting large recreational crowds from Merseyside and industrial Lancashire.