FAUSTO COPPI’S 1952 TOUR DE FRANCE YELLOW JERSEY UP FOR AUCTION
Aste Bolaffi will offer Fausto Coppi’s1952 Tour de France yellow jersey at auction, one hundred years after the birth of the "Campionissimo"; the rare relic, estimated at 20,000-25,000 euros, will be one of the top lots of the Sport Memorabilia auction scheduled for Thursday 5 December as an internet live sale on Aste Bolaffi’s website.
The provenance of the jersey is easily traceable; it was given by "Pinella" De Grandi, the most famous post-war cycling mechanic, to his friend Pierino Francese, the owner of a tailor’s shop in Pezzana (Vercelli), which hosted the local Fausto Coppi Fan Club. It then passed from Pierino to his sons Fabrizio and Bruno and from them on to Stefano, Bruno's son and the current owner. After being kept for 60 years in the Francese house, the jersey will be offered at auction to the delight of cycling enthusiasts and collectors of memorabilia.
History
The Francese and De Grandi families are from Pezzana, a small town nestled in the rice paddies of the lower Po valley south of Vercelli. Pierino Francese, Stefano's grandfather, is the tailor of the town and together with his wife, Francesca Balocco, lives and keeps shop on the main street. Their two sons, Bruno and Fabrizio, are responsible for the deliveries (strictly by bicycle), of tailor’s orders in Pezzana and neighboring towns.
The tailor's workshop in post-war Pezzana is also a social gathering place where anecdotes, gossip and lively discussions on politics and sport, primarily cycling, are interwoven with work. And if football in the small town of Vercelli is synonymous with Juventus, cycling is synonymous with Fausto Coppi; Pierino's workshop, in fact, hosts the local Juventus Fan Club and Fausto Coppi Fan Club. Like much of Italy at that time , both Pierino and his sons are ardent fans of the great cyclist.
Among the shop's customers there are also the parents of Giuseppe De Grandi, called "Pinella" or "Pinza d’oro" who, over time, becomes a great friend of the family and of Pierino in particular. The bond between the two is so strong that "Pinella" makes for Bruno, Pierino’s eldest son, his first racing bicycle. The two corresponded frequently; in one of the many letters Pierino expresses the desire to have the pink shirt of the Giro d'Italia which Coppi won on 8 June 1952 and "Pinella", unable to get it for him, promises him the yellow shirt of the upcoming 1952 Tour of France instead, news that, for both Pierino and for the Fausto Coppi Fan Club, means that Coppi will participate in the Tour and is determined to win.
The jersey finally arrives, accompanied by a letter of apology for the delay dated 18 September 1952.
BROWSE CATALOGUE
The provenance of the jersey is easily traceable; it was given by "Pinella" De Grandi, the most famous post-war cycling mechanic, to his friend Pierino Francese, the owner of a tailor’s shop in Pezzana (Vercelli), which hosted the local Fausto Coppi Fan Club. It then passed from Pierino to his sons Fabrizio and Bruno and from them on to Stefano, Bruno's son and the current owner. After being kept for 60 years in the Francese house, the jersey will be offered at auction to the delight of cycling enthusiasts and collectors of memorabilia.
History
The Francese and De Grandi families are from Pezzana, a small town nestled in the rice paddies of the lower Po valley south of Vercelli. Pierino Francese, Stefano's grandfather, is the tailor of the town and together with his wife, Francesca Balocco, lives and keeps shop on the main street. Their two sons, Bruno and Fabrizio, are responsible for the deliveries (strictly by bicycle), of tailor’s orders in Pezzana and neighboring towns.
The tailor's workshop in post-war Pezzana is also a social gathering place where anecdotes, gossip and lively discussions on politics and sport, primarily cycling, are interwoven with work. And if football in the small town of Vercelli is synonymous with Juventus, cycling is synonymous with Fausto Coppi; Pierino's workshop, in fact, hosts the local Juventus Fan Club and Fausto Coppi Fan Club. Like much of Italy at that time , both Pierino and his sons are ardent fans of the great cyclist.
Among the shop's customers there are also the parents of Giuseppe De Grandi, called "Pinella" or "Pinza d’oro" who, over time, becomes a great friend of the family and of Pierino in particular. The bond between the two is so strong that "Pinella" makes for Bruno, Pierino’s eldest son, his first racing bicycle. The two corresponded frequently; in one of the many letters Pierino expresses the desire to have the pink shirt of the Giro d'Italia which Coppi won on 8 June 1952 and "Pinella", unable to get it for him, promises him the yellow shirt of the upcoming 1952 Tour of France instead, news that, for both Pierino and for the Fausto Coppi Fan Club, means that Coppi will participate in the Tour and is determined to win.
The jersey finally arrives, accompanied by a letter of apology for the delay dated 18 September 1952.
BROWSE CATALOGUE