*** We would like to thank everyone who showed up at the Reading Show last week. It turned out to be a great show for us and hopefully all that attended had a good time. It was good to see some of our regular customers and it was a pleasure to meet some new ones. We hope to see you all again there in October. ***

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JOE LOUIS MEMORABILIA

If you haven't yet seen the HBO Special on Joe Louis, it's a must see. As a boxing lover I was rivited, but I think it will appeal to almost everyone. Joe Louis led an interesting life and was a national hero when this country needed one most. His over-whelming defeat over Max Schmeling in their second fight, lifted the spirits of our nation and was a cause of embarrasment for the Third Riech of Germany. Louis was a man who gave a lot to this country during the war. He was generous to the war effort, but the government turned its back on him after the war demanding large sums of back taxes. He died in relative poverty.

As would be expected of any athlete of Louis' popularity, he was widely used as a sponsor. There are many pieces of memorabilia that had Joe Louis' image including clocks, lamps and ashtrays. They are some of the most popular figural boxing items in the hobby.