1965 Lampo Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali

 1965 Collezioni Lampo I Grandi Campioni #154

The 1965 Collezioni Lampo I Grandi Campioni #154 is often described by enthusiasts as the ‘1952 Topps Mantle’ of Cassius Clay cards. The 1965 Lampo album released in Italy includes Clay’s first pack issued card from a large card manufacturer that showcased a traditional sports card look. It features blazing eye appeal with a bright blue background and Clay’s most iconic headshot from his 1960 gold medal triumph in the Rome Olympics. There are two different back variations of this scarce Italian release (the Collezioni base version & the Edizioni with rare redemption back).

The 1965 Lampo is rare but has become more well-known in the card collecting community and sought after in recent years. Several recent Lampo sales have grabbed headlines and prices have begun to rival that of the 1960 Hemmets Journal. The 1965 Lampo’s rarity and style should continue to drive demand in the future and secure its place as a grail card for Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali collectors.

An argument has been made that the 1965 Lampo should be considered a Cassius Clay “rookie” based on the technicality that it could be defined as “the first licensed issue from a major manufacturer that was widely distributed”. Lampo was a major card manufacturer at the time, but it appears that this set was only released in Italy. A possible better case for this “wide distribution” definition could also be made the following year when Panini included Clay in its popular and regionally distributed 1966 Campioni Dello Sport set. The variety of manufacturers, countries with unique releases, hand cut comparables and overall rarity of these cards is what makes the Cassius Clay rookie card debate so appealing and impossible to settle. Regardless if it is a true rookie card or not, the 1965 Lampo is a very early release, extremely hard to find and arguably the most appealing Cassius Clay card to look at.

There are 38 Collezioni Lampos on the PSA pop report today with one PSA 7 representing the current highest grade. I have also seen photos online of a Collezioni BVG 8.5 that might challenge for the highest graded title in a crossover.

1965 Edizioni Lampo I Grandi Campioni #154

The 1965 Edizioni Lampo (with blue text on the back) is one of the rarest Cassius Clay collectibles you can own. These look identical to the 1965 Collezioni Lampo fronts, but Lampos with the Edizioni backs could be redeemed for prizes. This no doubt adds to their rarity today. The Italian translation reads: “Worth 2 Points. Collect these stickers. Amazing prizes await all those who send us the necessary number of points. 500 points for a plastic soccer ball - 700 points for a football jersey of a Serie A team (at collector’s choice), 1000 points for a table tennis game or a doll - 2000 points for a full football kit of Serie A team or an American kitchen for girls - 2400 points for a foosball table - 3000 points for a soccer ball Calcio N. 4 or a great working sewing machine.”

The Edizioni card stock is thinner than the Collezioni version and appears in a brighter white color. They are very condition sensitive. Only 4 Edizioni Lampos exist on the PSA pop report today. The highest graded is a PSA 3. It has been said that PSA did not originally differentiate between the Collezioni and Edizioni versions when they first starting grading these. This means that there could be a few Edizioni backs floating around in mislabeled older PSA slabs.

A look at the 1965 Lampo I Grandi Campioni sticker album can be seen below.

1960 Headshot from the Rome Olympics

The same iconic image with Cassius Clay wearing his gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics has been used for multiple cards and can sometimes confuse collectors (and professional graders). I once saw an old SGC slab of a 1965 Perfetti that was labeled by mistake as a 1965 Lampo. Notice anything different from these images? The classic photo bomb featured in the 1965 Perfetti Candy (and 1965 Monty Gum) is hard to ignore. I have yet to find an original copy of this photo online to know for sure, but one can only assume that this is a reporter or some creepy fan who was cropped out of the Lampo and Panini cards.