Welcome to my Sports Illustrated/TIME magazine blog – Your collector’s guide to the latest hobby updates and insight into what’s trending now.
In previous blog 15, I opened up the issue of TIME magazine and its importance within the magazine collecting trade. I don’t want to get too far away from my passion – SI – however I think we have a picture here that is incomplete without both pieces (TIME and SI) in place.
The best way to illustrate TIME’s place in sports magazine history, is to compare the timing relationship between TOPPS/Bowman/Leaf/Goudey in cards and SI/TIME in magazines. Although both SI and Topps have been extremely popular in their own right since 1954 and 1952 respectively, Bowman/Leaf/Goudey and TIME brought us quality card and cover appearances extending back nearly another 50 years. While SI began its complete, in-depth sports coverage of our favorite athletes in 1954, TIME bridges the gap between 1923 and 1954 with regard to featuring our favorite, most dominant sports heroes of the era. The first card and cover appearances of Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and many other famous HOFers predate SI and Topps publications. The best way to think about early Time covers is to draw the analogy – Bowman/Leaf/Goudey are to Topps as TIME magazine is to Sports Illustrated.
TIME covers have a particular color and flair that are distinct and recognizable from a distance which is perhaps one reason for their collector popularity. To me, the esthetics of the 47 Robinson, the 36 DiMaggio, or the 50 Williams covers, as well as 50-100 others, create an iconic, long lasting impression about the times and the athletes. Bowman/Leaf/Goudey card values have soared over the years and are among the most sought after in the hobby. Likewise, TIME magazine is headed in the same direction as more issues are graded and auctioned. 2018 will be a great year for magazine collecting.
I have put together a list (with individual rating) of the 50 most popular, hardest to find TIME magazine sports covers of all time. Below I have listed the top 25 with the subsequent 25 to appear in my next blog.
| Rank | Year | Newsstand Cover | Newsstand Population Scarcity | Condition Scarcity | Cosmetics | Collectability | Investment Potential | Total | Weighted | |
|
1 |
1930 | Bobby Jones |
10 |
10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 50 | 27000 | |
|
2 |
1953 | Mantle | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 50 |
27000 |
|
| 3 | 1954 | Mays | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 50 |
27000 |
|
|
4 |
1936 | DiMaggio | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 49 | 24300 | |
| 5 | 1947 | Robinson | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 49 |
24300 |
|
|
6 |
1950 | Ted Williams | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 49 | 24300 | |
|
7 |
1949 | Musial | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 48 | 21870 | |
| 8 | 1949 | Hogan | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
21870 |
|
| 9 | 1925 | Bobby Jones | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
21600 |
|
|
10 |
1925 | Sisler | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 48 | 21600 | |
| 11 | 1928 | Hornsby | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
21600 |
|
|
12 |
1929 | Foxx | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 48 | 21600 | |
| 13 | 1962 | Palmer | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
21600 |
|
|
14 |
1962 | Lombardi | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 48 | 21600 | |
| 15 | 1963 | Clay | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
21600 |
|
|
16 |
1962 | Nicklaus | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 47 | 19440 | |
| 17 | 1937 | Feller | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 46 |
17496 |
|
|
18 |
1936 | Gehrig | 9 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 17010 | |
|
19 |
1972 | Namath | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 46 | 17010 | |
| 20 | 1973 | Secretariat | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 46 |
17010 |
|
| 22 | 1974 | Reggie Jackson | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 46 |
17010 |
|
|
23 |
1965 | Brown | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 46 | 17010 | |
| 24 | 1945 | Ott | 9 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 44 |
13778 |
|
| 25 | 1935 | Dean | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 44 |
13997 |
I hope you are enjoying the reads on the history of TIME and SI magazines as well as an insight into relevant magazine collecting.
Great collecting to you and best fortunes with Sports Illustrated/TIME!